Manaslu Tragedy. A Japanese expedition led by Noboru Yamada attempting a winter ascent of the normal route, the northeast face, of Manaslu was given up when Takashi Sakuma fell some 650 feet to his death from an altitude of 24,600 feet. Sakuma, Fuji Tsunoda and Hiroshi Aota had left Camp III at 23,450 feet on December 18 and had reached 25,100 feet before being turned back by high winds and cold. Sakuma slipped during the descent.