Three more bodies were recovered on Wednesday during the search and rescue operation on Himlung Himal in Manang district, taking the number of bodies recovered so far to seven.

Sixteen Nepalis went missing after an avalanche struck the Himlung area on September 27, while they were preparing the mountain for an upcoming expedition. The group included Sherpas and support staff who had been sent ahead of foreign clients to prepare the camp, manage the route and fix ropes before the climbers arrived. Nine people remain missing, and search and rescue efforts are continuing in the area.

The District Administration Office in Manang identified the latest victims as Aash Gurung of Gorkha, Suraj Rai of Khotang and Kalam Budha of Rukum.

The bodies were brought from the Himlung base camp to the district headquarters, Chame, at around 4:42 pm on Wednesday. They were placed in the mortuary of the provincial hospital in Chame and are expected to be taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu on Thursday, according to Chief District Officer Mukti Prasad Khanal.

Gurung, 58, was from Kerauja in Dharche Rural Municipality-2, Gorkha. Rai, 21, was from Aiselukharka Rural Municipality-3 in Khotang, while Budha, 57, was from Hukam in Rukum. All three were affiliated with Himalayan Holidays, a trekking and mountaineering company, according to the district administration.

Of the nine people still missing, seven are associated with Himalayan Holidays and two with Imagine Nepal Trek & Expeditions, according to the district administration.

The bodies of Birendra Gurung and Ghana Shyam Rai were recovered on Monday, while those of Chhebi Bhote and Pasang Bhote were found on Sunday.

Search and rescue teams have been deployed in the Himlung area to locate the missing people and recover bodies. According to the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association (NNMGA), more than five experienced climbing guides are involved in the operation under the leadership of IFMGA mountain guides Pasang Kaji Sherpa and Bikram Karki.

The search and rescue operation is continuing in the affected area, the NNMGA said. The association said all possible efforts would continue to locate those still missing and recover their bodies.