At least 10 people, including climbers and support staff, have gone missing after an avalanche struck Nepal’s 7,126-metre (23,379-foot) Himlung Himal peak in the western district of Manang.

Confirming the incident, Ram Krishna Lamichhane, director general of the Department of Tourism, said officials were collecting further details and working to locate and rescue those unaccounted for, the local English-language daily Kathmandu Post reported on Sunday.

The avalanche occurred amid persistent rain and snowfall in the western mountainous region, disrupting climbing expeditions and trekking.

Heavy snowfall on Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, forced climbers to cancel expeditions this week. Treks to the Dhaulagiri mountain range were also paused.

Nepal has issued more than 500 permits for the autumn climbing season, with Manaslu accounting for most of them.

The country is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks, and foreign climbers who flock to its mountains are a major source of revenue for the largely rural nation.

Floods and landslides

Parts of Nepal have also seen heavy rainfall since Thursday, washing away roads and triggering landslides.

At least one person was killed and two others went missing after a landslide struck a settlement in Palpa district on Sunday.

In neighbouring Parbat district, the Kaligandaki River flooded a settlement, washing away around 80 houses.

The latest incidents follow massive flash floods last month that killed more than 1,350 people, with more than 5,000 still missing.