DHAKA: At least 39 climbers died on a key Nepali hiking route after it was hit by major snowstorms and avalanches earlier this week.

Officials say, reports the BBC.

Helicopters are helping rescuers high in the Himalayas as they search on for missing trekkers, with fears that more bodies lie beneath the snow.

A total of 289 people have been rescued from the mountain ranges in what is Nepal's worst-ever trekking disaster.

A government spokesman said the priority was to rescue stranded people.

Tourism ministry official Suresh Acharya told BBC Nepali that helicopters were scouring snowy areas as high as 5,790m.

One of the main trekking routes, the Thorung La pass, the high point of the Annapurna Circuit, is now ‘relatively safe’ after the army cleared snow, he said.

‘We are told that there are around still 20-25 persons in the area and they are safe,’ the official added.

BDST: 1617 HRS, OCT 18, 2014