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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, CNN reported.

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

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.

Regional administrator Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya told CNN that 14 trekkers were now known to have died near the iconic 5,416-meter (17,770-foot) Thorung La Pass in Mustang district, the highest point of the popular 21-day Annapurna Circuit trek.

The bodies recovered so far include Israelis, Nepalis and Poles, he said. Three remain buried under snow.

Even as the total death toll climbed from the 17 reported Wednesday, Thapaliya warned that there are chances of finding more people dead or lost around the pass.

A Nepal army team made it up to 16,000 feet -- still short of the pass -- on Thursday on the side of the mountain where the 14 bodies were found. But more could be found in the final 1,800 feet of ascent, officials fear.