Update | Frantic search for 100 missing trekkers after deadly Nepal avalanche
Blizzard in Nepal spurred by Cyclone Hudhud has killed at least 30 hikers on Annapurna circuit
Workers using helicopters and battling waist-deep snow rescued more than 150 people, including two Hongkongers, in Nepal's Himalayas yesterday, two days after a major snowstorm that triggered avalanches and killed more than 30 people.
Local officials said 23 bodies had been found on the popular Annapurna circuit trekking route, while five climbers who were staying at a mountain base camp when it was hit by an avalanche could not be found and were presumed dead.
Three Nepalese yak herders were also killed when severe weather triggered by the tail end of Cyclone Hudhud hit the picturesque Annapurna region in central Nepal.
But the majority of victims were tourists - among them Canadians, Israelis and Indians - and their guides and porters. Doctors said the two Hongkongers, identified as Rita Chan-yuet and Wong Kai-man, were diagnosed with frostbite by doctors at a Nepalese army hospital, and their condition was not serious.
"We have made a lot of progress today: we have airlifted 154 people to safety, including 76 foreigners," said Ganesh Rai, the police official in charge of the rescue effort.