9 Climbers Die in Nepal Avalanche

An avalanche swept away climbers on a Himalayan peak in Nepal today, leaving at least nine dead and six others missing, officials said. A police official said the bodies of a Nepalese guide and German man were recovered and that rescue pilots have spotted seven other bodies on the slopes of Mount Manaslu in northern Nepal. The mountain is the eighth highest in the world. Ten other members of the team survived the avalanche but many were injured and are being flown to hospitals by rescue helicopters, he said.

Weather conditions were deteriorating and it was not possible to continue air searches of the mountain today, said the police official. The identities of the victims were still being confirmed. The avalanche hit the climbers at a camp at 22,960 feet as they were preparing to head toward the summit, which is 26,760 feet high. It is currently the beginning of Nepal's autumn mountaineering season. (More Mount Manaslu stories.)