Mountaineer Um Hong-gil, who has climbed 16 Himalayan peaks at elevations of 8,000 meters or higher, could not hide his deep sorrow over the devastating floods in Nepal, which have left more than 1,000 people dead or injured, during a phone interview with the Hankook Ilbo on Friday. Um said he had witnessed firsthand the Himalayas becoming warmer, glaciers melting and landslides becoming more frequent since he began traveling through the region in 1985. He had long warned that a major disaster could eventually strike, but said the scale of the recent devastation was far worse than he had expected. The areas along the Nepal-China border affected by the floods are also familiar territory for Um. He visited the region as recently as late May this year. “The area is on the fastest route to Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Buddhists and Hindus, and the disaster may have been particularly severe because it coincided with the peak pilgrimage season,” Um said. When he visited, the area was crowded with pilgrims from around the world. Um recalled seeing a chaotic scene in a narrow gorge, with