Two bodies found, 12 missing after avalanche hits Himalayan climbing group

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - KATHMANDU — Rescuers have recovered two bodies from the site of an avalanche that struck a climbing group camping in the Nepalese part of the Himalayas during severe weather.

At least 10 people have been rescued from Mount Himlung, a 7,126-metre (23,380-foot) peak in north-central Nepal after the avalanche hit on Sunday.

Around a dozen people are still thought to be missing after a sheet of snow fell on the base camp of Himlung Himal peak on Manang district on Sunday morning.

The group of Nepalese nationals, including climbers and support staff, had been sent ahead of foreign climbers to prepare the camp and fix ropes.

Forecasts showed there was heavy snowfall around the 7,126m (23,380ft) peak in recent days, which lies on Nepal's border with Tibet.

Poor weather has hampered rescue efforts, with helicopters and rescue teams initially unable to reach the site.

Bibhuti Chand Thakur, of Himalaya Holidays Trekking, told news agency AFP that at least eight members of his expedition team had been reported missing. The exact number of climbers still unaccounted for remains unclear.

A rescue team consisting of experienced mountaineers was rushed from the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, via helicopter.

That effort is now expected to continue on Monday due to the thick snow and bad weather, local media report.

The Nepalese team had been sent ahead of foreign climbers to prepare the camp, manage the route and fix ropes on the mountain.

Nepal's mountain districts have seen persistent rain and snow in recent days, creating treacherous conditions for the country's economically important climbing tourism industry.

Climbers were forced to leave Mount Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world, earlier this week due to the rising threat of avalanches.

The latest death of Nepalese climbers comes less than two months after six lost their lives on Broad Peak in Pakistan, including renowned British-Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja.

It also comes as efforts to recover bodies continues on the Nepal-Tibet border, where more than 6,000 people are still missing after a massive flood and landslide in August.

More than 1,400 people are confirmed to have died after a glacial collapse in the Himalayas sent vast quantities of water and debris careering down the Trishuli River valley, sweeping away settlements.

Extreme weather events have also affected other parts of Asia in the past week.

Extreme weather in the neighbouring Indian region of Uttar Pradesh has killed more than 50 people, officials there said.

Meanwhile, a flood emergency has been declared across Bangkok because of heavy rainfall since Thursday, with people being urged to stay at home or move to higher floors.

Earlier this week, a deadly typhoon that battered Tokyo, triggering landslides in neighbouring prefectures that killed four people.

Typhoon Dujuan was the latest in a series of storms in the Pacific, made more intense by the "super El Niño", an area of warmer sea water that facilitates the formation of powerful storms.