Two dead, 14 missing after avalanche on Nepal's Himlung peak

Kathmandu, Nepal: At least two people have been killed and 14 remain missing after an avalanche at Nepal's Himlung peak, an official said on Monday, as rescuers resumed their search.

The avalanche swept through the base camp of the 7,126-metre (23,345-foot) peak near the Chinese border early on Sunday, burying tents under deep snow.

"Two bodies were found as rescuers worked until 6:00 pm last night," Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, told AFP.

"The search continues for 14 expedition workers who are still missing."

A team of eight mountain guides is involved in the search operation, he added.

Mountaineer Mingma G Sherpa, who is leading the rescue team, said challenging weather conditions were hampering their efforts.

"We could have saved lives but due to bad weather, we reached the accident site only in the evening (on Sunday)," he wrote on Facebook.

Sherpa said the deceased were both guides, while the 14 missing were kitchen staff working at the expedition camp.

Organisers initially reported that at least 10 people were missing.

It was the latest natural disaster to hit Nepal in recent weeks.

The Himalayan nation is rebuilding from a devastating glacial flood on August 26 that killed more than 1,400 people and left over 6,000 missing.

And heavy rain since Thursday has triggered other floods and landslides, killing at least 21 people, according to the national disaster agency.

Home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks, Nepal relies heavily on mountaineering and trekking tourism.