Oh, Langtang (Satis Shroff)

(Shin Monastary, Langtang/shroff)

Oh, LANGTANG (Satis Shroff)

Langtang Valley can be reached from Kathmandu by traversing along the Trisuli river valley and further to small picturesque Nepalese hamlets such as: Betrawati, Dharapani, Ramche, Thare, Bokejhung, Bhrugu, Munga and finally Syabrubensi, for where the Langtang Valley begins. Most of the trekkers head for the village of Langtang, which lies at an elevation of 3,500m, and another village is Kyanjing (3,850m). These two villages lie in a wide arid valley, and has woodland and meadows: a trekker's paradise.

But at the moment the beautiful Valley and town of Langtang lies under 10,000 tonnes of snow, earth and stones that have rolled down. 'Langtang Valley is no longer what it was and doesn't exist,' according to Tulsi Prasad Gautam, chief of tourism in Kathmandu. In the middle of the valley lay the village of Langtang.

'The village has been demolished by the earthquake,' said civil servant Gautam Rimal. There were 60 houses which have been buried under the debris.' According to Rimal it is impossible to dig up all the corpses.

The rescue-teams have already dug out 100 bodies and are searching for another hundred. The president of the Nepalese Trekking Agency Association Ramesh Dhamala said: 'At least 600 tourists and Nepalese are missing in the Langtang area.

Two German female backpackers in their twenties, Leonie and Nina, are missing, and also 110 other tourists. The Nepalese police have made a list with the names of the missing tourists and published it. The two German tourists, as well as the majority of the trekkers are missing in Langtang Valley, which lies 60km north of Kathmandu.