The blizzard and avalanche that hit mountains in the western region on Tuesday claimed at least 39 lives and left dozens missing. According to Chief District Officer in Mustang Baburam Bhandari, over 300 people who were trekking along the Annapurna circuit have been rescued in the past four days.

The Alpine Rescue team of Nepal Army (NA) rescued two people, one Swiss and one Nepali national trapped on the mountains on Saturday and brought them to Pokhara from Sangta Pass, bordering Dolpa and Mustang districts.

Similarly, the NA helicopter mobilised in the area brought two bodies of a Japanese and an Indian national found at Thorong La pass on the same day, the NA said in a statement.

“We will continue search and rescue works from Sunday early morning if the weather is favourable,” he said, adding, “The difficult mountain terrain and remoteness have affected efforts to trace out the missing people.”

Bhandari said presence of thick snow along the high-camp route (4,850 metres above sea level) has hampered the search and rescue efforts.

Likewise, seventeen people, including eight foreigners, missing in Upper Dolpa region were rescued on Saturday. According to police, two trekkers, including one Swiss and one Nepali national who were suffering from high-altitude sickness, were flown to Kathmandu the same day while the remaining 15 rescued people were brought to Jhupal, the Dolpa district headquarters.

According to Chief District Officer in Dolpa Krishna Prasad Khanal, three of the total 11 expedition teams who acquired entry permit to visit Upper Dolpa are still missing. “Heavy snowfall and poor communication network have caused problems in locating the missing trekkers,” he said.