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Diwakar Pyakurel and Fanindra Dahal,BBC Nepali in Kathmandu
At least three climbers, including a French national and two Nepalis, have 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 the Dolaha region.
Four other climbers – two Italians, a German and a Canadian – are feared dead, but the search continues. The dead and missing were part of a group of 12 tourists and local guides who set out more than an hour before the avalanche hit, the district’s police chief told the BBC.
Five Nepali guides who returned to base camp were injured, but not critically.
“Three bodies have been seen and rescue teams are expected to find four more,” local deputy police chief Gian Kumar Mahato told the BBC.
It is not clear whether the other two confirmed dead, who are both Nepalese, were working with the group or were climbers themselves.
Mr Mahato said a rescue helicopter landed on Monday in the Na Gaun area of ​​Dolaha – a five-hour walk from the Yalung Ri base camp.
Efforts to find those still missing have been hampered by bad weather and logistical problems, according to local media reports.
The Kathmandu Post reported that the group was preparing to climb the nearby Dolma Kang peak, which has an elevation of 6,332 m (20,774 ft).
Separately, rescue efforts are continuing for two Italian climbers who went missing while trying to climb Mount Panbari in western Nepal.
Stefano Faronato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a three-man group that got stranded along with three local guides last week. The third member of the group, identified in media reports as Welter Perlino, 65, has now been rescued.
Autumn is a popular season for trekkers and mountaineers in Nepal as weather conditions and visibility are usually better. However, the risk of bad weather and avalanches remains.
Last week, Cyclone Montha caused heavy rain and snowfall in Nepal, stranding people in the Himalayas.
Two British women and an Irish woman were among the group to be rescued after being trapped for several days in the western Mustang region.
The bad weather remained hundreds of tourists stranded near Mount Everest in October.
