Search to continue as 11 trekkers still missing in Nepal

Nepalese officials have rescued 63 trekkers, mostly foreigners, stranded in the Himalayas five days after a devastating snowstorm struck the country, while the search for 11 missing hikers would continue tomorrow.
The officials using choppers rescued the trekkers in Mustang and Manang districts -- which falls under the highly popular Annapurna Circuit trekking route -- hit by the deadly storm on Wednesday.
The blizzard has claimed at least 39 lives, including that of four Indians, and left scores missing.
Authorities involved in rescue operations said the efforts to locate the missing persons will continue tomorrow in the region as some trekkers were still missing.

Eleven trekkers were still missing in the Himalayas, said Baburam Bhandari, Chief District Officer in Mustang.
He said more than 300 people along the Annapurna Circuit trail, where most of the trekkers and Nepalese guides were killed in the snowstorm, have been rescued in the past four days.

An improved weather has helped rescuers speed up the search operation along the Annapurna Circuit which goes as high as 5,416 metres.
The rescuers today found nine bodies from Syangla Pass in Dhaulagiri region, according to an official at Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN).
Nepalese, Japanese, Israeli, Canadian, Indian, Slovak, Vietnamese and Polish trekkers are said to be among the dead.

Thousands of people head to the Annapurna mountain range every October, when weather conditions are usually ideal for trekking.
However, the region was hit by unusually heavy snowfall this week triggered by Cyclone Hudhud, which slammed into India's east coast last weekend.
The disaster follows the deadliest avalanche on Mount Everest that killed 16 Sherpa guides, forcing authorities to call for an unprecedented shutdown of trekking on the route.
Landlocked Nepal relies heavily on tourism revenues from climbing and trekking.
The roughly 241-kilometre Annapurna Circuit, described as "the best long distance trek in the world", takes around three weeks to complete.

The circuit which passes Mount Annapurna -- world's 10th highest mountain -- was opened to tourists in 1977 after conflicts between guerrillas and the Nepalese army were resolved.