Nepal ends hunt for climbers missing in avalanche

Nepalese rescuers on Thursday called off a search for three climbers who have been missing since a huge avalanche that killed eight mountaineers at the weekend, presuming them dead. The two French mountaineers and a Canadian disappeared after their group was hit by a wall of snow near the 8,156-metre (26,759-foot) Himalayan peak Manaslu in the early hours of Sunday. "We have come to an end of the search operation. A team of five sherpas were involved in the operation. But despite their best efforts, they were unable to find them," district police chief Basanta Bahadur Kunwar told AFP. "They are presumed dead, but the French embassy have told us they may continue a private search," Kunwar added. Eight people were found dead in the immediate aftermath of the snowslide -- four French, a Spaniard, a German, an Italian and a Nepali guide. Experts say climbers buried in an avalanche typically have 20 minutes to be dug out before they die from hypothermia or asphyxiation. Police also fear the missing could have been swept into a crevasse, meaning their bodies might never be recovered. One of the missing French climbers was Remy Lecluse, 48, a well-known Chamonix-based mountain guide and extreme skier who had recently married and was the father of a two-year-old girl. An experienced skier, Lecluse carried out more than 500 extreme descents -- long, steep descents on mountain peaks -- in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes and elsewhere. The French embassy in Kathmandu was not immediately available for comment.