Bodies spotted in aerial search for missing climbers

Bodies were spotted Monday during a search for eight climbers missing for several days following avalanches on India's second-highest mountain, a source in the Indian border force told AFP.

"Some bodies were visible during the helicopter recce. They were on the same route as the climbers had taken," the source said, requesting anonymity.

Four Britons, two Americans, one Indian and one Australian have been missing on the 7,826-metre (25,643-foot) Nanda Devi in the Himalayas since last week.

Earlier, an aerial search for eight climbers feared swept away in an avalanche on a remote mountain in the Indian Himalayas resumed on Monday, officials said, though bad weather was hampering the effort.

The climbers — four from Britain, two from the United States, and one each from Australia and India — were reported missing by colleagues on Friday after they failed to return to their base camp near Nanda Devi, India's second highest mountain.

A rescue operation began over the weekend but made little progress.

Agencies