Nepal snowstorms kill at least 12 people in Himalayas

An avalanche and blizzard in Nepal’s mountainous north have killed at least 12 people, including eight foreign trekkers. Five other climbers were hit by a separate avalanche on Mount Dhaulagiri and remain missing.

The death toll is likely to rise as rescuers struggle through snow and rough terrain to help dozens who remained stranded, officials said.

An avalanche buried one Indian and four Canadian trekkers in Phu on Wednesday, said the chief administrator of Manang district. The snow buried the trekkers’ bodies and digging them out would take days, he said.

Three villagers were on killed Monday in the same district, about 100 miles north-west of the capital, Kathmandu, and their bodies were recovered on Wednesday.

In neighbouring Mustang district, four trekkers caught in a blizzard died on Tuesday. Rescuers recovered the bodies of the two Poles, one Israeli and one Nepali from the Thorong La pass area. The pass is on a route that circles Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest peak.

Complete at GUARDIAN