TEN MISSING AFTER AVALANCHE ON MOUNTAIN

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 27 /SRNA/ - At least 10 people are missing after an avalanche struck a base camp on the remote Himlung Himal mountain in Nepal, where climbers and support staff were preparing for an expedition, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Mountain officials said bad weather had prevented helicopters from reaching the 7,126-meter peak.

Sherpas and kitchen staff were fixing ropes and preparing the base camp for the arrival of a group from the United Arab Emirates on October 1 when the avalanche swept across the mountainside. Most of those missing are Nepalese.

The disaster occurred shortly after severe flooding hit the Nepal-China border following the collapse of a glacier.

Around 1,300 people were killed and more than 5,000 remain missing in that disaster.

The avalanche occurred after warnings were issued for adverse weather conditions in parts of the country.