Mountain rescue teams in Nepal searched for scores of missing trekkers last week after unseasonal blizzards and avalanches killed at least 25 people along the high-altitude Annapurna mountain route popular with backpackers.

Army and civilian rescue workers said between 73 and 85 trekkers registered on the trail were still unaccounted for after initial searches.

Not all of those people were ne-cessarily trapped by the weather and some may have left the area, rescue workers said.

But the death toll, which included 13 foreigners and three yak herders, was expected to rise with so many unaccounted for after snowstorms brought by the tail end of a cyclone that struck eastern India last weekend.

It was the second major mountain disaster to strike in Nepal this year, after an ice-avalanche killed 16 Sherpa guides on Mount Everest in April.

“This is one of the worst mountaineering accidents that I can remember,” said Gopal Babu Shrestha, the treasurer of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, who helped with the rescue.

“It is inevitable that the death toll will rise from here.”

Shrestha took part in helicopter rescue operations and said he had seen what looked like bright jackets and backpacks scattered near the Thorang-La pass, at an altitude of 5,416 metres.

The pass is the highest point of the trail that loops around the Annapurna peak, the world’s 10th highest mountain.

Rescue efforts focused on the Thorang-La area, where a blizzard on Wednesday killed six Nepali citizens, three Polish nationals and three Israeli hikers. Separately, in the neighbouring district of Manang, four Canadian hikers, an Indian national and three Phu villagers were killed in an avalanche.

Israeli trekkers Yakov Megreli (left) Maya Ora (centre) and Linor Kajan, who were rescued from an avalanche by the Nepalese army, pose for photographs at the army hospital where they were undergoing treatment in Kathmandu. Photo: Navesh Chitrakar/ReutersIsraeli trekkers Yakov Megreli (left) Maya Ora (centre) and Linor Kajan, who were rescued from an avalanche by the Nepalese army, pose for photographs at the army hospital where they were undergoing treatment in Kathmandu. Photo: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

Digging out the bodies, which are buried in up to 6ft of snow, would take days, said government official Devendra Lamichane.

Three Canadian trekkers who survived the avalanche were taken by helicopter to a shelter in a nearby village.

Meanwhile, authorities said five climbers were killed in a separate avalanche some 46 miles to the west, at the base camp for Mount Dhaulagiri.

This is one of the worst mountaineering accidents that I can remember

The climbers, two Slovaks and three Nepali guides, were preparing to scale the 26,800ft peak, the world’s seventh tallest, said Gyanedra Shrestha of Nepal’s mountaineering department. Their bodies were recovered on Thursday.

About 15 people have been rescued and some are recovering in hospital in the capital, Kathmandu.

A Facebook page set up to help friends and relatives trace loved ones trekking in Nepal quickly filled with concerned posts from the US, Canada, Australia and South Korea.

The 240 km Annapurna circuit offers spectacular views of jagged peaks and Buddhist villages.

Taking almost three weeks to complete, it is perhaps the most popular walking routes in the Himalayas and is dubbed the ‘apple pie’ circuit because of the teahouses lining the route that offer cold beer and home baking.

“It’s our most popular trek,” said Hari Thapoliya, a member of the Trekking Team Group in Kathmandu, which offers guides to tourists. “It is not particularly challenging. If you keep fit by running or doing other exercise you can do it.”

The hikers’ deaths come during the peak trekking season in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest.

For two days last week, Nepal was lashed by heavy rain brought by the cyclone that also battered neighbouring India, killing at least 24 people. In Nepal, the weather triggered blizzards at high altitudes.

A ground team of 50 soldiers and police joined army helicopters looking for survivors or bodies.

Nepal’s climbing business is still recovering from the shock of an ice avalanche that struck the lower reaches of Mount Everest in April, the worst disaster in the history of the world’s highest peak.

Climate experts say rising global temperatures have contributed to avalanches in the Himalayas.

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