Two Italian Climbers Missing on Nepal Peak

Two Italian climbers have gone missing in Nepal while scaling a remote peak, tourism officials said Monday, after Cyclone Montha disrupted weather in the region.

The climbers, Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo, were attempting to scale the 6,887-metre (22,595-foot) Panbari mountain in western Nepal as part of a three-member team.

Himal Gautam of Nepal's tourism department said the search was ongoing for the missing climbers.

"The two were stuck in camp one because of heavy snowfall and have been out of contact since Saturday," Gautam said.

The team leader, who was at the base camp, was safe and rescued by helicopter Sunday, Gautam added.

Last week, Cyclone Montha triggered heavy rain and snowfall across Nepal, leaving trekkers and tourists stranded on popular Himalayan trekking routes.

Sagar Pandey, president of Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, said more than a thousand trekkers and tourists had to be rescued since heavy snowfall began last Tuesday. – AFP/RSS