Two people were killed and 10 others remained missing after an avalanche struck the base camp of the 7,126-metre Himlung Himal peak in Nepal's Manang district on Sunday, police said.
The avalanche hit the base camp in the Nar Phu area, burying a tent where nine climbers and 13 support staff were taking shelter, according to police.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Shailendra Thapa said around 12 people went missing after the avalanche. Two bodies were later recovered from the mountain, while 10 people remained unaccounted for.
All those missing are Nepalese nationals, Thapa said.
A helicopter was dispatched to the site to assist in the rescue operation, he said.
The missing people are associated with Himalayan Holidays Nepal (HHN) and Imagine Nepal Treks, an official of HHN said. The companies lost contact with their teams after the avalanche struck the base camp.
"One of the expedition members telephoned and informed that their friends have gone missing after the avalanche hit the base camp," the official said.
The expedition member told the official that people at the site were scattered following the avalanche and there was no information about several others.
Ram Krishna Lamichhane, director general of Nepal's Department of Tourism, said authorities were closely monitoring the situation, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The avalanche occurred amid continuous rain and snowfall in Nepal's mountainous districts, where the adverse weather has also triggered landslides and floods.
Rescue teams were working to locate the missing people as authorities assessed the situation at the remote mountain base camp.