
Annapurna has a reputation for being very dangerous. The peak has the highest fatality rate of any of the 8000 meter peaks and it is particularly prone to avalanches on its upper slopes. It is believed that the three Koreans were swept off the mountain by one of those avalanches or that they fell into a crevasse while descending. Search teams spent days looking for any trace of them, going so far as to even descend into several crevasses, but they still found nothing.
My condolences to the friends and families of these three men, who perished while attempting a new route on Annapurna's South Face. They were strong climbers who died doing something they loved.