French mountaineer among three dead in Nepal avalanche tragedy

The district police chief said the deceased were part of a group of 12 trekkers and local guides who had set off about an hour before the avalanche struck. The group included two Italians, a German, and a Canadian.

 Five Nepali guides who returned to the base camp sustained injuries, but their condition is not serious.

 Local Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato said a rescue helicopter landed in the Na village area of ​​Dolakha on Monday – a five-hour trek from the Yalung Ri base camp.

 According to local media reports, efforts to locate those still missing are being hampered by bad weather and logistical difficulties.

Separately, rescue efforts are continuing for two Italian climbers who went missing while attempting to climb the Panbari mountain in western Nepal.

 Stefano Faronato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a group of three who became stranded last week along with three local guides. The third member of the group, identified in media reports as Walter Perlino, 65, has been rescued.

 Heavy rains and snowfall across Nepal last week, caused by Cyclone Mocha, left trekkers and tourists stranded in the Himalayas.

 A group of people rescued after being stranded for several days in the western Mustang region included two British nationals and an Irish woman.