Avalanche in Nepal leaves 2 dead, several missing

Two people have died when an avalanche struck the base camp of a mountain in Nepal with at least 14 others still missing.

The avalanche hit the 7,126-meter (23,380-foot) Himlung Himal after several days of heavy rain and snowfall across the region.

The dead and missing are all mountain guides and staff of Nepalese expedition companies who had been preparing the base camp for paying customers to climb the mountain.

"There were a total of 14 kitchen staff members and two climbing guides from different companies who were missing," the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association said. "The two climbing guides have been found, but sadly, both were found deceased."

There was conflicting information as to how many people were in the affected area near the border with Tibet at the time of disaster. Local police said there were at least 22 people at the base camp when the avalanche struck on Sunday morning.

Bibhuti Chand Thakur, head of trekking company Himalayan Holidays Nepal, told news agency DPA that search and rescue operations were under way. "The chance of survival remains high because of fresh snow," he said, adding that he did not yet have a definitive number of missing or survivors, as the area is remote and cut off from communication.

Authorities had warned of severe weather across Nepal over the weekend. Rain has affected much of the country since Thursday, with snowfall reported in the higher northern regions. The conditions have disrupted roads and trekking routes and led authorities to suspend climbing and trekking activities on several mountains.

The Himalayan nation is home to eight of the world's 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters, and trekking and mountaineering tourism is vital to the country's economy.