Search ends for Nepal survivors

Sunday, October 19, 2014, 8:48 AM - Rescue teams in Nepal say that the search has ended for any remaining trekkers left stranded.

Instead now teams will refocus their priorities to recovering bodies buried in the snow.

Death tolls have climbed to 39 as of Sunday morning, but that number is expected to increase with many more missing still.

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It's been five days since an avalanche and blizzard hit Nepal's northern region and the Nepalese army and private helicopters have been constantly searching the trail where most of the foreign trekkers, Nepalese guides and villagers were killed this week. Among the dead were Canadians, Indians, Israelis, Slovaks and many more. The worsening weather this weekend posed an extra challenge on search efforts.

About 400 people have been rescued from the site, but it is unsure exactly how many more are still unaccounted for.

According to officials, improving the flow of information is another top priority. There are three separate lists of dead and survivors which could lead to some confusion.

The Weather Network's Suzanne Leonard has visited the trail before.

"I went to Nepal in 2000 during the spring hiking season with the express purpose of trekking to the Annapurna Base Camp. It was an important personal goal - but we had to turn back less than one day away from our goal, because of unseasonal avalanches." Leonard said. "The Annapurna trail is beautiful but its demanding. You have to be in shape and you have to be well prepared. You need knowledge of wilderness altitude and the local terrain."

The trek isn't for the faint of heart.

"As you'd expect the terrain is very rugged so just about all surface travel is done on foot. These are mainly well-travelled trails serviced by small 'tea houses' or guest houses along the way, but it's still a very remote area," added Leonard.

Many of the dead are thought to have left the Thorung La pass to try to flee the storm.

There is some infrastructure along the route but the villages that serve the trail are far between.

"The Annapurna area is really well served by clusters of villages but they are very spread out along the route - which was part of the challenge in the search for survivors.," Leonard said. "Many trekkers had taken shelter and it took a long time for everyone to either trek out or make contact that they were safe."