Nepal blizzard death toll rises to 20 after eight more bodies found

Nepal army rescuers in helicopters spotted eight more bodies of trekkers along a mountain trail that was buried in avalanches and blizzards, raising the death toll to 20, while five more climbers were missing on another mountain, officials said Thursday. Improving weather conditions allowed rescue workers to recover the bodies of four trekkers from the Thorong La pass area on the Annapurna Circuit trekking trail on Wednesday, a day after they were caught in a blizzard. In neighboring Manang district, an avalanche on Wednesday killed five trekkers in Phu village, said government official Devendra Lamichane. Separately, five trekkers were missing after an avalanche hit Mount Dhaulagiri as climbers at the base camp were preparing to scale the 8,167-meter-high peak, the world’s seventh tallest. The death toll was likely to increase as officials reach other parts of the trail where the trekkers were caught by the deadly blizzard.

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