Italy says seven of its citizens are missing in Nepal after trying to climb a Himalayan peak in the north-east of the country.
Officials said the Italian team was at the base camp of Dolma Khang Peak, which has a height of 6,332m (20,7744ft), in Dolakha District.
Three other Italian hikers have been confirmed dead this week, including an arrest that hit Dolma Khang on Monday.
A senior Italian diplomat from neighboring India has arrived in Kathmandu to coordinate with Nepalese authorities and search teams.
Nepal was hit by avalanches and fierce storms last week, killing and maiming many climbers and their local guides.
“At this stage, the local authorities have confirmed the death of three pedestrians in Italy,” the Foreign Ministry in Rome said in a statement on Wednesday.
“There remains news of seven other Italian nationals, including Marco Dic Marcello and Markus Kirchler.”
The Foreign Ministry said that Mr. Mercello and Mr. Kilcheller were in the area of Yalung Ri, where the Avalanche occurred on Monday. Italian Paolo Cocco is one of the seven climbers confirmed to have died near the Yalung RI camp.
On Tuesday, Mr. Marcello’s family told the Italian News Agency that his satellite radio signal continues to update and appears to be working.
A Nepali tourism official, Ram Krishna Lamichane, told the BBC that they spoke to rescue teams searching for the base camp of Dolma Khang Peak, which was hit by an avalanche.
“According to the information we have, there are five people, including three foreign passengers and two Nepali guides,” said Mr. Lamichane.
There have been conflicting reports about the number of dead and missing climbers in the area in recent days, as well as their nationalities.
Mr. Lamichhane added that they also joined the trekking tour that organized their expedition to Dolma Khang to find out more details of the missing.
As well as Paolo Cocco, the bodies of two other Italian climbers who disappeared while trying to scale PANBARI Peak in Western Neal were also recovered.
Stefano Faratonato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a three-man group that got stranded with three local guides last week.
The group was given permission to climb the 6,887m peak, but was reported missing when contact with base camp was lost on 28 October.
The third member of the group, another Italian man, survived with a Sherpa.
Autumn is a popular season for trekkers and mountaineers in Nepal as the weather conditions and visibility are excellent. However, the risk of severe weather and surges remains.
Last week, Cyclone Montha brought heavy rain and snowfall to Nepal, people in the Himalayas should be prepared.