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An injured avalanche victim from Israel hugs a friend after boarding an ambulance to head homewards at Ciwec Clinic in Katmandu, Nepal Niranjan Shrestha

12 bodies found in the Himalayas after deadly snowstorm

34 trekkers were rescued after getting stranded.

NEPALESE TEAMS RESCUED 34 more trekkers and guides stranded in the Himalayas since a snowstorm struck five days ago at the height of the hiking season but also found 12 more bodies, officials said.

Rescuers using helicopters found the bodies buried in the highly popular Annapurna Circuit trekking route hit by the storm, with the total number of those confirmed or feared dead put at 40.

“Four helicopters were sent out today to the affected areas in Mustang, Manang and Dolpa. We have rescued 34 since morning,” said police official Pradeep Bhattarai.

They include 17 Nepalese, 10 Germans, five Swedes and two Australians, Bhattarai told AFP, without giving details of their injuries or condition.

Nepal Avalanche An injured avalanche victim from Israel lies inside an ambulance Niranjan Shrestha Niranjan Shrestha

Rescuers pressed on with their search for bodies that they have seen from the air but have so far been unable to retrieve, said the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, an industry group.

Three bodies were found early today and another nine — all Nepalese support staff for trekkers — late in the day on different sections of the circuit, the association’s Ramesh Dhamala told AFP.

Searchers were taking advantage of good weather but efforts were being hampered by the fact that snow was turning to ice, making it difficult to free trapped bodies.

“We are scanning areas at higher altitude today, coordinating with local officials to identify areas where remaining trekkers might be found,” said Dhamala.

Searches would resume tomorrow to retrieve more bodies along with any more survivors, he said.

Weather warning system

Nepal has pledged to set up a weather warning system after the snowstorm caught trekkers unaware as they heading to an exposed high mountain pass on the circuit.

Police have said 483 trekkers, guides and others have been rescued since operations started on Wednesday, including 292 foreigners.

Thousands of people head to the Annapurna region every October, when the weather is usually clear and cool.

Search efforts were initially focused today on an area of the circuit in Manang where two bodies were found and where more were feared buried, another association official told AFP.

“A team of experts dug through snow to recover bodies of two Indians at Nar-Phu area,” said the association’s Machendra Acharya.

A third body was discovered in Letdar, higher up the circuit at 4,200 metres. The identity of the man, dressed in monk’s clothing, was unknown, he said.

Nepal Avalanche An injured avalanche victim from Israel rides a bus to the airport to head homewards in Katmandu Niranjan Shrestha Niranjan Shrestha

The nine bodies of the Nepalese were pulled from Sangda-La pass, higher still at 5,490 metres. Three Swiss and four Nepalese were rescued alive from the same area on Friday.

There have differing accounts of the total number of dead. But according to the trekking association a total of 40 people have died.

This figure is based on the many bodies that have been recovered, plus other corpses seen from the air or described in eyewitness accounts by survivors.

The dead include at least 26 hikers, guides and porters on the circuit, three yak herders, and five people who were climbing a nearby mountain.

The disaster follows Mount Everest’s deadliest avalanche that killed 16 guides in April on the world’s highest peak and forced an unprecedented shutdown of it.

Read: Himalayan avalanches leave 29 people dead and hikers stranded on mountain>

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    Mute Paraic
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 2:12 PM

    Great news for Sligo and badly needed employment.

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    Mute Anthony Gallagher
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 3:09 PM

    excellent news for Sligo and its college of technology.

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    Mute John Flood
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 4:08 PM

    Great place to bring work. Good luck!

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    Mute Jaycee Laycee
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 2:16 PM

    Dear God no, we’re losing the war on plastic, drowning in the stuff aren’t we???

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    Mute Paraic
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 2:31 PM

    @Jaycee Laycee: Depends on what it’s used for. Could be medical device components for example.

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    Mute WoodlandBard
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 2:48 PM

    @Jaycee Laycee: Tough call, more plastic or good healthcare. Then there is a another question, does good healthcare help increase human population? Many say that reducing population is better education … but I’m rambling off topic now.

    Jobs for Sligo are good, just wishing it was another industry.

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    Mute Michael Kavanagh
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 2:56 PM

    @WoodlandBard:
    Curious ……. What other industry might you regard as suitable for Sligo?
    We can’t all be artisan cheesmakers or wooden spoon carvers!

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    Mute John
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 3:12 PM

    @WoodlandBard: I always see you bemoan the fact that there are no jobs in the west and now when jobs are announced you are moaning.typical.

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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 3:37 PM

    @Michael Kavanagh: Another micro brewery?

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    Mute Cathal
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 4:35 PM

    @Michael Lynch: Or a distillery?

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    Mute Michael Kavanagh
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 5:13 PM

    @Michael Lynch:
    A 200 job brewery ain’t too micro!

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    Mute Margate
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 9:13 PM

    @Jaycee Laycee: feel free to decline such medical device intervention as may be necessary to save your life when/if such scenario may arise.

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    Mute Margate
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 9:17 PM

    Delighted for Sligo. Lovely, genuine folk, in an even nicer , beautiful location. Great to see it happen.

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