DHAKA: The grim search for missing hikers and bodies buried under snow continued Thursday against the dramatic backdrop of Nepal's Himalayas, as officials confirmed that at least 27 people had died in an exceptionally heavy snowfall.

Rescue crews combed the high altitude paths and passes of the popular Annapurna region as well as the neighboring Manang district for missing trekkers, CNN reports.

Nine stranded Israeli tourists were rescued Thursday, as well as three Canadians and four Indians who were pulled to safety, according to the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal.

The trekkers' group said it deployed helicopters to rescue hikers stranded by snow, floodwaters and avalanches unleashed along the popular Himalayan trekking trails by heavy snow Tuesday.

** 21 trekkers killed in Nepal 

BDST: 0955 HRS, OCT 17, 2014