NEPA

At least four people have died and others remain missing after an avalanche struck Nepal as severe weather batters the country. Rescue efforts are underway to locate the missing, with heavy snow and harsh conditions hampering search operations in the affected area. Authorities have not yet confirmed the full scale of casualties or damage.

Nepal's tourism sector is facing severe disruption as deadly floods strike just as the Himalayan country enters its peak trekking and travel season. Authorities are assessing damage while around a million people have been affected, and operators describe the situation as feeling like a lockdown, with travellers cancelling trips to a nation still recovering from devastating floods.

Investigators probing a leopard poaching case say an elephant was smuggled into India from Nepal, and the trail points to a non-governmental organisation. The case ties wildlife trafficking across the India-Nepal border to poaching networks, raising questions about the NGO's involvement and how protected animals are moved between the two countries.

Rescue teams are searching a mountain in Nepal for 12 people swept away by an avalanche. Details about the location, the victims, and their condition have not yet been confirmed, but the search operation is under way in difficult mountain terrain. The incident adds to the toll of deadly avalanches in the Himalayas, where climbing and trekking seasons regularly bring crews and travellers into avalanche-prone areas.