Avalanches halt rescue operation for missing trekkers in Nepal

With fresh avalanches hitting the Annapurna circuit trekking route here on Sunday, the rescue operation to find the missing trekkers, including four South Korean climbers and three Nepali guides, was halted.

Officials said that the missing individuals were believed to have been caught in a snowslide.

"The area where the avalanche hit on Friday is receiving fresh snowfall and avalanches. The new layer of snow is creating a problem in the search operation," Mira Acharya, an official from the Department of Tourism told ANI.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the avalanche hit at an altitude of 10,600 feet before noon on Friday along the popular Annapurna circuit trekking route.

The missing trekkers, two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s are teachers who were in Nepal for volunteer work, the ministry said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.