An avalanche and a blizzard in Nepal's mountainous north have killed at least 25 people, including four Canadians, officials said.

Nepal army rescuers spotted eight more bodies along a mountain trail buried in avalanches and blizzards, authorities said Thursday.

The Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal said about 70 people were still missing along or near the popular Annapurna trail and the death toll there was expected to rise.

The co-founder of Montreal-based travel agency Terra Ultima said Wednesday that three Quebecers are among those missing and feared dead.

Julien Passerini said six Quebecers in all were in the area, including those missing: two women in their 50s and one in her 30s. One of the three is the hikers' guide.

"The group of five people, accompanied by an experienced guide, left Canada for Nepal on Oct. 3 for a three-week trip," Terra Ultima said in a statement.

"Our thoughts are with the friends and families of those who are missing."

Two Ottawa women -- Jane Van Criekingen and Virginia Schwartz -- were also believed to be missing.

"We have unconfirmed reports that both Virginia and Jane are OK," Mark Schwartz, Virginia's brother, told Ottawa radio station 1310News.

A statement from the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal said the bodies of five people -- four Canadians and one Indian trekker -- were recovered from Phu area in Manang district.

A company called Panorama Himalaya confirmed the deaths of three Canadian clients in an avalanche while a company called Nepal Hidden Treks confirmed the death of a Canadian woman.

Panorama Himalaya also said it had rescued three other Canadian trekkers, according to the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper took to Twitter to voice his sympathy.

"Laureen and I express our condolences to the families and friends of the four Canadians who lost their lives in an avalanche in Nepal," he wrote.

Three villagers were killed Monday in the same district, about 160 kilometres northwest of the capital, Kathmandu, and their bodies were recovered on Wednesday.

In the neighbouring Mustang district, four trekkers caught in a blizzard died Tuesday.

Rescuers recovered the bodies of the two Poles, one Israeli and one Nepali trekker from the Thorong La pass area.

It was initially thought that group had been caught in an avalanche, but government official Yam Bahadur Chokyal said the four trekkers instead had been caught in the blizzard and died.

He said another 14 foreign trekkers have been rescued so far, including two from Hong Kong and 12 Israelis, and two army helicopters were picking up injured trekkers and flying them to Jomsom town.

Chokyal said it was not possible to say how many trekkers were still on the route stranded by the deep snow but several of them have reached safe ground on Wednesday because of improved weather.

Five other climbers -- two from Slovakia and three Nepalese guides -- were hit by a separate avalanche on Mount Dhaulagiri and their bodies were recovered Thursday.

The rain and snow in Nepal were caused by a cyclone that hit neighbouring India several days ago.

October is the most popular trekking season in Nepal, with thousands of foreigners hiking around Nepal's Himalayan mountains.

The Thorong La pass is also on the route that circles Mount Annapurna, the world's 10th highest peak.

An avalanche in April just above the base camp on Mount Everest killed 16 Nepalese guides, the deadliest single disaster on the mountain.

Climate experts say rising global temperatures have contributed to avalanches on the Himalayan mountains.

-- With files from The Associated Press

Search and rescue teams flying on army helicopters spotted the bodies of eight more trekkers killed in a series of blizzards and avalanches that have hit central Nepal in recent days, raising the death toll in the region to 25, officials said Thursday.

At least 12 people died when they were caught in a sudden blizzard Tuesday in the Thorong La pass area.

As the weather improved, rescue workers recovered the bodies of four hikers -- two Poles, an Israeli and a Nepali -- from around Thorong La. Two trekkers from Hong Kong and 12 Israelis were airlifted Wednesday to Kathmandu, where they were being treated at Shree Birendra Hospital.

The blizzard, the tail end of a cyclone that hit the Indian coast a few days ago, appeared to contribute to an avalanche Wednesday that killed at least eight people in Phu village in the neighbouring Manang district. The dead included one Indian and four Canadian trekkers as well as three villagers, said government official Devendra Lamichane. The villagers' bodies were recovered Wednesday, he said.

But digging out the foreigners' bodies, which are buried in up to two meters (6 1/2 feet) of snow, will take days, he said. Three Canadian trekkers who survived the avalanche were taken by helicopter to a shelter in a nearby village. No update was immediately available on their condition.

Meanwhile, authorities said five climbers were killed in a separate avalanche some 75 kilometres (46 miles) to the west, at the base camp for Mount Dhaulagiri. The climbers, two Slovaks and three Nepali guides, were preparing to scale the 8,167-meter (26,800-foot) -high peak, the world's seventh tallest, said Gyanedra Shrestha of Nepal's mountaineering department. Their bodies were recovered Thursday.

An avalanche in April just above the base camp on Mount Everest killed 16 Nepalese guides, the deadliest single disaster on the mountain. Climate experts say rising global temperatures have contributed to avalanches in the Himalayas.