Getty ImagesCatherine Armstrong And
Diwakar Pyakurel and Phanindra Dahal,Nepalese BBC in Kathmandu
At least three mountaineers, including a Frenchman and two Nepalese, died after being hit by an avalanche on a Himalayan peak in northeastern Nepal, police said.
The incident occurred at 09:00 local time (03:15 GMT) on Monday near the Yalung Ri mountain base camp in Dolakha district.
Four other climbers – two Italians, a German and a Canadian – are believed to have died, but the search continues. The killed and missing were part of a group of 12 local hikers and guides who left more than an hour before the avalanche, the district police chief told the BBC.
Five Nepalese guides who returned to base camp were injured but not seriously.
“Three bodies have been seen and rescue teams need to recover four more,” local deputy police commissioner Gyan Kumar Mahato told the BBC.
It is unclear whether the other two confirmed dead, both Nepali, were working with the group or were climbers themselves.
Mr Mahato said a rescue helicopter landed in the Na Gaun area of Dolakha, a five-hour walk from Yalung Ri base camp, on Monday.
Efforts to find those still missing have been hampered by bad weather and logistical problems, according to local media.
The Kathmandu Post reported that the group was preparing to climb the nearby peak of Dolma Khang, which is 6,332 m (20,774 feet).
Separately, attempts to rescue two Italian climbers who went missing while trying to scale Panbari Mountain in western Nepal continue.
Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a group of three men who found themselves stranded with three local guides last week. The third member of the group, named in the media as Velter Perlino, 65, has since been rescued.
Autumn is a popular season for hikers and climbers in Nepal as weather conditions and visibility tend to be better. However, the risk of severe weather and avalanches remains.
Last week, Cyclone Montha brought heavy rain and snow across Nepal, stranding residents in the Himalayas.
Two Britons and an Irish woman were part of a group who had to be rescued after being stuck for several days in the western Mustang region.
Extreme weather also stranded hundreds of hikers near Mount Everest in October.
