KATHMANDU — The death toll in a blizzard that engulfed trekkers on Nepal's popular Annapurna trail in the Himalayas has risen to 39, police and army sources said on Saturday.

"We have spotted nine new bodies today," said Govinda Pathak, police head in the district of Mustang. "We could not retrieve them because of bad weather conditions and snowfall. I can confirm that the toll is 39 now."

The authorities rescued 60 more people on Saturday, when the army deployed troops on a ground search, taking the total number saved to 371.