KATHMANDU: Rescuers were digging through ice and snow on a mountain in Nepal on Tuesday to recover the bodies of seven climbers who were killed by an avalanche a day earlier, officials said.
An avalanche pounded the base camp at Mount Yalung Ri, located at 4,900 meters (16,070 feet), on Monday morning. Snowstorms prevented rescuers from reaching the site on the day.
Improving weather allowed a helicopter to reach the base camp Tuesday and rescuers were able to begin shifting through the snow and ice.
Dolkha district Police Chief Gyan Kumar Mahato said four climbers who were injured in the avalanche were rescued by the helicopter and flown to the capital Kathmandu for treatment.
Among those killed were two Nepali mountain guides, but the identity of the remaining five was still unclear. Mahato said one of them is likely a French national.
At least three bodies were pulled out of the snow by Tuesday afternoon, he said.
Mount Yalung Ri is a 5,600-meter (18,370-foot) peak, considered suitable for beginning mountain-climbers.