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At least 10 Nepalese climbers who were preparing to lead an expedition in the Himalayas are missing after an avalanche hit a base camp on Sunday morning.<\/b><\/p>\n
The climb’s organisers said the local guides were at a staging point close to the Himlung Himal peak in Manang district when the avalanche struck.<\/p>\n
Forecasts showed there was heavy snowfall around the 7,126m (23,380ft) peak in recent days, which lies on Nepal’s border with Tibet.<\/p>\n
Poor weather has hampered rescue efforts, with helicopters and rescue teams unable to reach the site.<\/p>\n
Bibhuti Chand Thakur, of Himalaya Holidays Trekking, told news agency AFP: “Eight members of our expedition team and two more from another company have been reported missing.”<\/p>\n
The Nepali team had been sent ahead of foreign climbers to prepare the camp, manage the route and fix ropes on the mountain.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Climbers were forced to leave Mount Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world, earlier this week due to the rising threat of avalanches.<\/p>\n