Missing Israeli hiker’s body found in Nepal

The body of missing Israeli trekker Michal Cherkasky was retrieved from the snow in Nepal on Monday, along with two other victims, as Nepalese authorities prepared to end the full-scale search for survivors of a deadly snowstorm that struck last Tuesday.

The hiker’s death raises the Israeli death toll to four. The three other Israeli victims were Agam Luria, Shoham and Tamar Ariel.

Police official Bikash Khanal said 502 trekkers, guides and others have been rescued since operations started on Wednesday, including 299 foreigners.

“We have recovered two bodies from Manang, and another of an Israeli woman from the Thorong Pass,” Khanal told AFP.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the find in a statement, and said Cherkasky’s family had been notified.

Cherkasky, 36, was last seen by survivors of the storm stumbling and struggling to hike in the scenic Annapurna Circuit, Chabad emissary to Nepal Chani Lifshitz told Israel’s Channel 10 news.

It was not immediately clear whether these bodies were included in the death toll of 40 previously given by the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, which included hikers who were missing and feared dead as well as those whose bodies had been recovered.

The victims include at least 26 hikers, guides and porters on the Annapurna circuit, three yak herders, and five people who were climbing a nearby mountain.

More than 500 people have now been airlifted to safety since heavy snow hit Nepal’s popular Annapurna region last Tuesday at the height of the trekking season, triggering avalanches and killing dozens of people.

Six helicopters fanned out over the affected areas on Monday morning to rescue any trekkers still stuck in the region.

“Although smaller, regular rescues may continue, we hope to complete all emergency evacuations from the snowstorm today,” Ramesh Dhamala of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal told AFP.

Another Trekking Agency official, Keshav Pandey, said that “a few Nepalese support staff are still unaccounted for,” although the industry body was not aware of any more stranded tourists.

Nepalese officials believe most of those affected have now been pulled to safety or walked out on their own, although it remains unclear how many trekkers were in the area when the storm hit.

Thousands of people head to the Annapurna region every October, when the monsoon rains clear and the weather is usually at its best for trekking.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.