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Four South Korean trekkers among seven missing in Nepal avalanche

Seven trekkers, including four South Koreans, went missing in Nepal’s northwest Himalayan region after an avalanche hit their trail, local police and hiking officials said on Saturday.
The area where the avalanche struck the group, which also included three local guides, is estimated to be about 150 km (93.21 miles) northwest of Nepali capital Kathmandu, according to the officials. The avalanche was triggered by heavy rain and snowfall, they said.
“Four of our Korean clients, who were trekking in the Annapurna region are not in contact and are missing since an avalanche struck them on Friday,” Sandesh Pandey, who runs the tour company which organized the hike, told Reuters.
Mount Annapurna, in northwest Nepal, is the world’s tenth highest mountain at 8,091 meters (26,545 feet) and its base camp
is popular with thousands of trekkers who visit annually.
The three Nepali guides are also not reachable, said Mira Acharya, a tourism department official in Kathmandu.
Four helicopters have been deployed for the search and rescue mission with police and local volunteers also looking for the trekkers, Acharya said, adding, however, that rough weather conditions were making the operation difficult.
The incident comes as the annual trekking season in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountain peaks including Mount Everest, is drawing to a close.
It could potentially dampen the mood for the Himalayan nation’s tourism industry, yet to recover from a devastating earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people in 2015 including 18 climbers and their guides at the base camp of Mount Everest.
Cash-strapped Nepal earns 4 percent of GDP through income from tourists.
About 8 percent of the nearly 1.1 million tourists who visited the country in 2019 went hiking or mountain climbing, according to official estimates.
Separately, four rescue helicopters on Saturday evacuated nearly 200 trekkers in the Annapurna region - about 140 of them
foreigners - to safer locations, police said. Their nationalities are not yet known.
source: Reuters
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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