KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 20 A fresh avalanche on Mount Manaslu has claimed the lives of a foreign climber and his Sherpa guide, just as hundreds of climbers retreated to base camp amid heavy snowfall on the world's eighth-highest mountain. The two were found dead inside a tent at Camp III on Sunday morning after losing communication with their team. They have been identified as Dhruba Jyoti Guha, an Indian-German climber, and Fursemba Sherpa of Makalu, according to expedition organisers. The pair had reportedly headed for Camp III on Saturday evening in an attempt to make an early summit push, while other climbers chose to retreat from Camp II because of deteriorating weather. Rescuers reached Camp III after the two stopped communicating and found their tent buried under nearly seven feet of fresh snow. The circumstances at the camp reportedly indicated that a fresh avalanche had buried the tent. Six other climbers who had decided to retreat from Camp II are safe. Efforts were under way on Sunday to recover the bodies and bring them to base camp. The deaths take the reported toll on Manaslu to four this autumn season. Singaporean climber Lau Wee Seng, 50, died at around 6,000 metres during an acclimatisation rotation on September 17, while 20-year-old Nepali porter Tashi Sherpa was earlier found dead inside a tent at base camp. The latest incident comes days after a nine-member rope-fixing team opened the summit route on September 17, allowing expeditions to prepare for their summit attempts. The route-opening operation itself had been disrupted by an avalanche above Camp III, which swept away about 1,200 metres of fixed rope and equipment. Heavy snowfall subsequently forced climbers from Camps II and III back to base camp. Expedition organisers said a relatively favourable weather window is forecast for September 21–23, although weather conditions remain a major factor for summit attempts. The Department of Tourism has issued 493 permits for Manaslu this autumn, including 366 to male and 127 to female climbers. More than 500 Nepali guides are also involved in the season's expeditions.