Updated at 2:15 p.m. ET: KATHMANDU, Nepal - An avalanche swept away climbers and their camps on the world's eighth highest mountain in northwestern Nepal on Sunday, killing at least nine people, police said.

A former president of Nepal Mountaineering Association, Ang Tshering Sherpa, said most of the dead climbers were French and that others were from Italy, Germany and Spain.

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French news channel BFM TV reported that four of those killed on Mount Manaslu were French, citing a mountain climber.

Nepalese officials confirmed earlier that the dead included climbers from Nepal, Germany and Spain, and they said four people were missing. Five injured climbers were rescued by helicopters and flown to the capital Kathmandu.

German climber Andreas Reitero, 26, said he was sleeping in his tent when the avalanche struck at about 4 a.m. local time (2315 GMT on Saturday). His camp was about 7,000 meters (22,950 feet) above sea level.

"It was a big sound. I was afraid," Reitero told Reuters from hospital in Kathmandu after being rescued by a helicopter from the mountain, 100 km (60 miles) northwest of the capital.

"I was so confused that I can't say how far I was swept away or how many people were there in the camp at the time of avalanche," said the climber, who is being treated for a back injury. "I had luck. I did not go far enough and was (left) outside ... not buried under snow."

Reitero was one in a group of 13 climbers - 11 Germans and two Austrians. One German member of the group died, he said.

A French Foreign Ministry spokesman would not confirm any deaths but said "at least three" French climbers were injured.

Police Inspector Basant Mishra said the bodies of a German climber and a Nepali guide were recovered from the snow on the 8,163-metre (26,781-foot) mountain.

"Rescue pilots have spotted seven other bodies on the mountain," Mishra said. 

Sources at the Spanish Foreign Ministry said one of the dead climbers was Spanish, without giving further details.

The accident took place at 7,000 meters (22,950 feet), making it difficult for land rescue teams to reach the scene.

Helicopters were dispatched to the remote area to look for those missing after the early morning accident, but cloud and fog were complicating rescue efforts, Mishra said.

Hundreds of foreign climbers flock every year to Himalayan peaks in Nepal, which has eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest. September marks the beginning of the autumn climbing season which runs through November.

In the last major accident, at least 42 people including 17 foreigners, were killed in heavy snowfall in the Mount Everest region in 1995.

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CHAMONIX, France -- Two climbers were still missing Thursday after an avalanche swept down a mountain in the French Alps, killing at least 9 climbers and injuring 12. A search using dogs and a heat-sensing helicopter was called off until the weather improves.

"The conditions are still perilous. At this stage, the mountain is not safe," French Interior Minister  Valls told reporters. 

The most deadly avalanche in the Alps since 2008 struck a popular climbing route in the Mont Blanc range near the border with Switzerland.

Officials earlier said four people were missing but later revised that to two.

The dead included three Britons, three Germans, two Spaniards and one Swiss, the head of the Haute-Savoie gendarme service, Bertrand Francois, told a press conference.

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About 38 climbers were on Mont Maudit, which means Cursed Mountain, at an elevation of about 13,000 feet when the avalanche hit without warning in fine weather conditions, Francois said. Maudit is one of two access points to the famous Mont Blanc peak.

That included 28 climbers in two separate climbing teams tied together with ropes, as well as independent climbers, he added.

The gendarme service said it was alerted around 5:25 a.m. Thursday to the avalanche by a survivor. A block of ice some 16 inches thick apparently broke off and slid down the slope, creating a mass of snow that was 6-feet thick and 150-feet long.

"The first elements that we have from testimony are that a climber could have set loose a sheet of ice, and that sheet then pulled down the group of climbers below. I should say that the incline was very, very steep on this northern face," Francois told reporters. 

A team with Mountain Tracks, a guide company based in Britain, was among the first to reach the scene.

"Mountain Tracks had a group of climbers with our guides on the mountain at the time of the accident," the company said on its Facebook page. "They were not directly involved but helped in the initial rescue."

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Regional authorities had warned climbers this summer to be careful because of an unusually snowy spring, but authorities had not expected avalanches Thursday as conditions were good, said Jean-Louis Verdier, mayor of the ski resort town of Chamonix.

"We had no more reason than usual to be alarmed," Verdier told Reuters TV. "It's a steep mountain face. There are big plates of snow we know of where an avalanche can easily occur. But this morning we had no reason to expect an avalanche of this size and such a tragedy."

According to recent tweets from climbers, high winds led to overhanging ice slabs forming on the slope. Five days ago, they tweeted that Chamonix saw a monsoon-like downpour that turned to snow at about 10,000 feet.  

In 2008, eight Swiss, German and Austrian climbers perished in an avalanche nearby.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Four Japanese climbers, two men and two women, are presumed dead after an avalanche swept down Mt. McKinley in Alaska's Denali National Park, the National Park Service said Saturday. One man survived after climbing out of a crevasse he had been thrown into.

The five-person team was roped together when the slide hit at 2 a.m. Thursday on the mountain's West Buttress, in an area known as Motorcycle Hill, the park service said in a statement.

"The five were travelling as one rope team, although the rope broke during the avalanche," the service stated.

Some 400 people were searching the area Saturday, but snow and wind have impeded the effort on North America's tallest mountain.

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Hitoshi Ogi, 69, survived with minor injuries, making his way down from the avalanche at 11,000 feet to a base camp at 7,200 feet by 4 p.m. on Thursday.

A helicopter crew deployed that day failed to find any sign of the others, the service said.

Those presumed dead are 64-year-old Yoshiaki Kato; 50-year-old Masako Suda; 56-year-old Michiko Suzuki; and 63-year-old Tamao Suzuki.

All are from Miyagi Prefecture -- the same area devastated by the 2011 quake and tsunami -- and were descending the mountain when the avalanche hit.

If confirmed, the deaths would be the worst accident on McKinley since 1992, when four Canadian climbers died.

On May 23, a Finnish man died after falling 2,000 feet while trying to ski down a steep McKinley chute known as the "Orient Express".

The first death of the 2012 McKinley climbing season was on May 18, when a German climber died in a 1,100 foot fall. He was trying to retrieve a backpack that was sliding downhill when he lost his footing and fell.

The climbing season in Denali generally runs from late April until early July. Usually 1,200 to 1,300 people attempt McKinley each year.

"Substantial snowfall and windy conditions in recent weeks have kept most climbers from reaching the top," the service said Saturday. "As of June 16, there are 395 mountaineers attempting routes on Mt. McKinley, the majority on the West Buttress route. Out of the 630 climbers that have already returned from expeditions this season, 234 reported reaching the summit, equating to a 37 percent summit rate."

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GAYARI ARMY BASE, Pakistan – Rugged gray mountains of snow and ice spotted with heavy machinery and rescue workers are all that remains of Pakistan's Gayari army base.

An avalanche struck the battalion headquarters of the 6th Northern Light Infantry 14,000 feet up in the mountains of Kashmir on April 7, burying alive 129 Pakistan army soldiers and 11 civilians in the wee hours of the morning.

After nearly two weeks of struggles, rescue and recovery efforts at what’s been called “the world’s highest battlefield” are over and the search for bodies is on.

Pakistani and Indian soldiers have been sitting eyeball to eyeball in this remote outpost for nearly 30 years -- fighting less against each other than against the extreme weather.

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Dramatic site
The first opportunity for the Pakistani army to take media up to the site came on Thursday -- 12 days after the horrific avalanche -- because of continuously bad weather. Situated in the mountains more than 680 miles north of Islamabad, it took traveling in a military plane, helicopters, 4x4 trucks and then on foot to reach the site.

Towering snow-covered peaks against a lush blue sky, with an aquamarine stream flowing in the valley and terraced fields of potatoes and wheat were beautiful, but there was nothing but sadness at the site of the incident.

PhotoBlog: Pakistan vows not to give up on avalanche victims

This was my second visit to the area in 15 years. Seeing the size of the mud-filled snow slide, heavy rocks, boulders and slush spread over about a third of a square mile was horrifying. And at 14,000 feet above sea level, I really felt difficulty breathing.

“Tell us immediately if you feel any pain in chest or neck,” Brigadier Saqib Mahmood Malik, the Siachen brigade commander, warned the gathered media. “We will give you quick paramedic service,” he promised.

Weather has been a major difficulty hampering the efforts to dig into the ground where the battalion headquarters was stationed.

More than 400 soldiers have been busy with heavy machinery such as bulldozers and excavators looking for the remains of their compatriots, but there has been no sign of life, let alone any bodies.

The tragedy triggered a response from the world community, with the U.S., Germany, Switzerland and Norway sending expert teams immediately to assist with the rescue effort.                       

“The whole mountain has fallen,” said a soldier, pointing his finger toward the snow-covered peak where the avalanche began. Pakistani army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani promised that they will continue to dig into the mountain to recover the bodies until they succeed. Soldiers are busy digging a tunnel 70 feet deep into the mass of the avalanche.   

Standoff in the mountains
The missing soldiers were part of the Pakistani military deployment to the area that sits just below the Siachen Glacier, in the northern part of the Kashmir region. The Kashmir is the area that is the main source of tension between India and Pakistan, the nuclear-armed rival India has been fighting against since 1947. 

The avalanche is the biggest loss for Pakistan at the Gayari base since the conflict with India began in 1984.

Guns have been silent between India and Pakistan since a 2003 ceasefire. But both armies have stayed put to guard their respective territories and continued to fight the harsh mountain weather with sub-zero temperatures. More lives have been lost over the years to the freezing temperatures and treacherous conditions than combat.

Of all the problems plaguing the two countries, Siachen is often described as one of the easiest to solve. But any resolution to the conflict has been held hostage by general mistrust and hard-liners on both sides who don't want to give up their claim on territory, however strategically insignificant.

Hope for peace
The tragedy has brought to light the need to put an end to the senseless fight.

“Both are fools,” said Shujaat Ali, a 50-year-old civilian resident of the area. “They can earn more with tourism in this region than what they spend on the battle here,” he added.

“Both countries must work to pull out troops from the region. Siachen is a difficult front,” Kayani, Pakistan’s top army officer, said on Thursday. "This conflict should be resolved, but how it is resolved, the two countries have to talk about it," he added.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman said Thursday that “various proposals have been made under the Siachen dialogue process, and that includes redeployment of forces.” He said dates have already been proposed to India for a new round of talks on the issue with Pakistan.

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At least 37 people died and hundreds were still trapped in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday when a snow avalanche covered an entire village near the northern border with Tajikistan, local officials said.

Afghan army helicopters descended on the remote village in the north of Badakhshan province to try rescue families, the latest victims to Afghanistan's worse winter in 30 years.

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"The way to the village is closed, it is covered in snow," provincial governor spokesman Abdul Marof Rasikh said of the village of around 300 people, located in the Shikai district.

Afghan army helicopters descended on the north of Badakhshan to try to rescue the trapped families, Al Jazeera reported.

Six people injured in the snow were evacuated to neighboring Tajikistan for emergency medical treatment, according to the network.

Nasir Hemat, director of the Red Crescent in Badakhsham, told the BBC rescue teams had also reached the remote site.

"Our rescue work is going on," Hemat told the network. "We are hoping we can rescue a lot of people and prevent a human catastrophe."

Though avalanches are fairly common in the mountainous north, Tuesday's deaths were seen as particularly painful for a country that has experienced its worse winter in decades, killing dozens in the capital Kabul and creating further food shortages in one of the world's poorest countries.

Before Tuesday, freezing cold and avalanches had claimed the lives of 60 people -- including 35 children -- in Badakhshan province this winter, officials said.

According to the BBC, Badakhshan is one of the country's poorest and most remote regions and is shut off by heavy snow every year.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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AMSTERDAM -- Austrian doctors treating the Dutch Prince Johan Friso said Friday that he suffered "massive brain damage" after being buried by an avalanche last week and he may never regain consciousness.

Doctor Wolfgang Koller said MRI scans had showed his brain may have suffered lasting harm in the avalanche in Lech on Feb. 17.

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"It is clear that the oxygen starvation has caused massive brain damage to the patient," Koller said. "At the moment, it cannot be predicted if he will ever regain consciousness."

The 43-year-old prince will be moved at a later date to a private clinic for further treatment but it may take years before he awakens, if ever.

Upscale resort
The prince was skiing with one companion near the upscale western resort of Lech but away from marked ski runs when the mass of snow, about 100 feet wide and 130 feet long, hit them around midday, the Austria Press Agency said.

The Dutch royal family often spends winter holidays in Lech in the province of Vorarlberg, which like other parts of Austria has been blanketed with heavy snow in recent weeks.

Prince Johan Friso's older brother is Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his younger brother is Prince Constantijn.

Johan Friso gave up his right to the Dutch throne when he married a commoner whose past was considered too tainted for her to become a member of the Dutch royal house.

When he asked for official permission in 2003 to marry Mabel Wisse Smit, Dutch media published details of her relationship with mobster Klaas Bruinsma, who was shot and killed in 1991 in front of the Amsterdam Hilton hotel.

Dutch prince's life 'still in danger'

Following the revelations, the couple decided not to get official permission for their marriage.

The London-based prince joined URENCO, a uranium enrichment company, in 2011 as chief financial officer after earlier working at investment bank Goldman Sachs.

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Updated at 4:57 p.m. ET: An avalanche buried and seriously injured the second son of Dutch Queen Beatrix while he skied off marked trails Friday in the westernmost corner of Austria and he was rushed to the intensive care unit of an Innsbruck hospital, officials said.

The Dutch government, which initially said 43-year-old Johan Friso's life was in danger later issued an update saying "his condition is stable but not out of danger."

"Her Majesty the Queen and (Friso's wife) Princess Mabel are with Prince Friso," the Dutch statement said, adding that "doctors treating him will only be able to give a prognosis in a matter of days."

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Stefan Jochum, a spokesman for the Lech ski area where the accident occurred, said Friso's condition was serious but his life was no longer at risk.

Jochum said the accident happened early Friday afternoon as the prince and other skiers were on slopes away from marked Lech ski runs and laden with snow after weeks of record falls.

The Lech municipal office said a regional avalanche warning issued for the day was four on the five-point scale, meaning the danger was high.

"A snow slide came down and the prince was buried as the only member of the group," said Jochum in a telephone interview. A rescue helicopter was on the scene within minutes, and after Friso was located, he was resuscitated on the scene and flown to the hospital, Jochum said.

The Austria Press Agency earlier cited Lech Mayor Ludwig Muxel as saying Friso was buried for about 20 minutes by a snow mass that measured more than 30 yards by 40 yards when it hit him.

Friso was in Lech with other members of the royal family. Friso, the second of Beatrix's three sons, married Dutch commoner Mabel Wisse Smit, in 2004. The pair have two daughters, Countess Luana, 6, and Countess Zaria, 5.

Most recently Friso has worked as financial director at Urenco, the European uranium-enrichment consortium.

The crucial moment in his life as a member of the Dutch nobility came with his 2003 engagement to then-commoner Wisse Smit.

After the pair announced their intention to marry in 2003, Dutch media revealed that Wisse Smit's previous friendships included contacts while she was in college with a well-known figure in the Dutch underworld, a drug dealer who was later slain.

The couple publicly acknowledged having been "naive and incomplete" during her vetting process before joining the royal family. Then-Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende signaled he could not recommend the marriage to parliament for approval.

They married anyway, a decision that meant Friso's removal from the line of succession.

The couple are still part of Beatrix's family and attend important royal functions. Mabel has been granted the title "Princess Mabel" and Friso has an array of noble titles, including "Prince of Oranje-Nassau" — but not "Prince of the Netherlands."

The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

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