British Prince Harry to visit Nepal

                                           source:telegraphnepal.com

As previously announced, Prince Harry will visit Nepal in March 2016. The British Prince will carry out four days of official engagements, at the request of Her Majesty's Government, between Sunday 20th March and Wednesday 23rd March, the statement issued by the Kensington Palace states.
It is the first time Harry is travelling to Nepal.
The tour will begin and conclude in Kathmandu, where Harry will meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari. He will also meet those affected by the Nepal earthquakes of April and May 2015, and learn about efforts being made to restore buildings of historic significance and to assist disaster preparedness.
Having served alongside Gurkha soldiers in Afghanistan, Prince Harry will visit the British Gurkha Camp in Pokhara, where he will commend the bravery and service to the Crown of an exceptional group of soldiers. He will also learn more about Gurkha recruitment, and the assistance offered by Gurkha forces to surrounding communities in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Like all visitors to Nepal, Prince Harry is also keen to enjoy the country's stunning natural beauty. As such, he will have an opportunity to take part in a trek, and to visit one of Nepal's National Parks.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said:
"Prince Harry is really looking forward to his first trip to Nepal. It is a country he has long wanted to visit. He has been moved by the stories of resilience of the Nepali people following the earthquakes last year and is now eager to learn more about their country and culture. With Britain and Nepal currently celebrating two hundred years of cooperation, Prince Harry will experience the strength of the relationship and traditional warmth of the Nepali welcome.”

Mount Everest avalanches 2015

source: en.wikipedia.org

During the afternoon of 25 April 2015, a MW 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal and surrounding nations. Shaking from the quake triggered an avalanche from Pumori into the basecamp on Mount Everest. At least twenty-two people were killed, surpassing an avalanche that occurred the previous year as the deadliest disaster on the mountain.

Avalanches
Mount Everest was approximately 220 kilometres (140 mi) east of the epicentre, and between 700 and 1,000 people were on or near the mountain when the earthquake struck,including 359 climbers at Base Camp, many of whom had returned after the aborted 2014 season.[4] The earthquake triggered several large avalanches on and around the mountain. One avalanche, originating on the nearby peak of Pumori, swept into South Base Camp and then through part of the Khumbu Icefall.An Indian Army mountaineering team recovered the bodies of 19 mountaineers from the South Base Camp and rescued at least 61 stranded climbers from the mountain.

At least 61 people were injured, with dozens initially reported missing, and many more stranded at camps at higher elevations, having lost secure descent routes.

Effect on 2015 climbing season
 Although the ladders at the Khumbu Icefall were damaged by the avalanches, a handful of mountaineers, undeterred by the disaster, immediately sought Nepalese government permission to continue with their attempt on the mountain and were granted permission to do so on 29 April 2015."The ladders will be repaired in the next two to three days and climbing will continue, there is no reason for anyone to quit their expedition," said Tulsi Gautam, chief of the Nepal Department of Tourism. "There is no scientific reason to expect another quake... and we feel the ground is stable enough for climbing despite aftershocks."

It was later announced the closure of routes over the icefall for the remainder of the season, the second consecutive year that the mountain has been closed due to avalanches.After the second earthquake on 12 May 2015, Dambar Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators' Association of Nepal, said there were no climbers or Nepali sherpa guides remaining at Everest Base Camp.As a result, no one climbed Mount Everest in the spring of 2015, the first time in 41 years that this has happened.