Five people seeking 'Himalayan Viagra' missing after an avalanche in Nepal

At least 5 people who were searching for the Himalayan Viagra or Yarsagumba are believed to be buried in an avalanche in the Darchula district of far-western Nepal. The location's tracking unit is currently conducting search and rescue operations for the lost individuals, including four females and one male. The Deputy Chief District Officer of Darchula, Pradip Singh Dhami, has confirmed that the weather conditions are unfavourable for the search operation.

Up to 80 teams from the Armed Police Force and the Nepal Police have been dispatched to the site, according to Pradip Singh Dhami. Harvesters climb snow-capped mountains for weeks to collect Yarsagumba, a unique caterpillar-fungus fusion sold at a high price. Yarsagumba is created when parasitic mushroom spores (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) infect and mummify a ghost moth larva in the soil. It is found at elevations between 3000 and 5000 meters in Nepal, India, and Bhutan and is also known as the Himalayan Viagra.

Darchula, a mountainous district of Far-West Nepal, is located at an altitude ranging from 518 to 7132 meters from sea level. It borders Uttarakhand of India to the West and Tibet to the North.