Ten climbers missing after avalanche hits Himalayan base camp
The Nepali team was preparing to take overseas climbers up the Himlung Himal peak.
Ten climbers missing after avalanche strikes Himalayan base camp
The avalanche hit Himlung Himal, a mountain popular with overseas climbers
At least 10 Nepali climbers who were preparing to lead an expedition are missing after an avalanche struck a base camp in the Himalayas on Sunday.
The expedition organisers said the local guides were at a staging point near the Himlung Himal peak in Manang district when the avalanche hit on Sunday morning.
Forecasts had indicated heavy snowfall around the 7,126 metre (23,380ft) peak in recent days, and the mountain sits on Nepal's border with Tibet.
Rescue efforts have been hindered by poor weather, with helicopters and rescue teams unable to get to the site.
Bibhuti Chand Thakur, of Himalaya Holidays Trekking, told AFP news agency: "Eight members of our expedition team and two more from another company have been reported missing."
The Nepali 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 experienced persistent rain and snow in recent days, making conditions dangerous for the country's economically important climbing tourism industry.
Climbers were forced to leave Mount Manaslu, the world's eighth highest peak, earlier this week because of the growing threat of avalanches.
The latest deaths of Nepali climbers come less than two months after six people died on Broad Peak in Pakistan, including renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja.
Extreme weather farther south in the neighbouring Indian region of Uttar Pradesh has killed more than 50 people, officials there said.
The development comes as efforts continue to recover bodies 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 dead after a glacial collapse in the Himalayas sent huge amounts of water and debris racing down the Trishuli River valley, sweeping away settlements.