Avalanche sweeps Nepal mountain, killing 2 and leaving 12 missing

KATHMANDU, Nepal — An avalanche swept a mountain peak in Nepal during bad weather Sunday, killing at least two people and leaving 12 others missing, officials said.

The avalanche hit Mount Himlung, a 7,126-meter (23,380-foot) peak in north central Nepal, said Mukti Prasad Khanal, the chief government administrator of Manang District where the mountain is located.

All those killed or missing were Nepali nationals.

Rescuers brought two bodies and 10 survivors down from the mountain by helicopter to a nearby town, Khanal said.

The search was expected to resume at first light Monday, he said.

Authorities had warned of severe weather across the Himalayan nation over the weekend. It has rained across Nepal since Thursday, with snowfall in the northern mountain regions.

Nepal is recovering from devastating flooding in August that swept several villages, leaving more than 1,400 people dead and nearly 6,000 others missing.