Three Nepali climbers missing on Everest

A search was underway for three Nepali climbers who fell into a crevasse while ascending Everest yesterday, the first such accident on the world's highest mountain this climbing season.

The trio were crossing the treacherous Khumbu Icefall while carrying supplies to Camp 1, a waystation on the route to the mountain's 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak.

"We are still getting details, but we know that they were hit by a mass of snow this morning and are missing in a crevasse," Bigyan Koirala of Nepal's tourism department told AFP.

"Teams at the base camp are working together for search and rescue."

The Khumbu Icefall is a dangerous, ever-shifting expanse of glacial ice that requires climbers to navigate crevasses over rickety ladders.