Himalayas avalanches: British woman Lizi Hamer and partner are 'safe and sound' in Nepal

A friend of the couple shared the message they were "great" on Hamer's Facebook account

A Nepalese army helicopter rescues survivors of snow storms and avalanches which have killed at least 32 trekkers and guides on the Annapurna trail this week; scores of people are still missing (AFP/Getty Images)

A British woman is believed to be safe and well after one of the worst mountaineering disasters ever to hit Nepal.

Officials say at least 32 climbers have so far been confirmed dead, with rescue efforts turning to the recovery of bodies following a week of unseasonal blizzards and avalanches in the Himalayas.

Lizi Hamer, along with her partner and former New Zealand Olympic hockey player Lisa Walton, had been feared killed when an avalanche hit the popular hiking route Annapurna on Wednesday.

But a friend posted on the advertising executive’s Facebook page on Saturday morning claiming the couple were “both safe and sound” with a message from Hamer that they were doing “great”.

She said they had missed the storm but had had trouble contacting family and friends due to poor phone signal in the area, adding they were expected to arrive home next week.

So far more than 280 people have been rescued from the mountain range since snow storms began on Wednesday.

A patient list at the army hospital in Kathmandu includes the names of 14 rescued trekkers (AP)

Families of other Britons trekking in Nepal have expressed concern at not being able to contact their loved ones.

Officials have yet to declare a British casualty among the dead, though a number remain unaccounted for along with large numbers of trekkers from other countries.

On Friday, British survivor Paul Sheridan described how he escaped the disaster along the Annaupurna trek in northern Nepal.

Mr Sheridan said climbers should have been prevented from going up the mountain, but were “herded to their deaths” by guides who he alleged were not carrying the correct emergency equipment.

Rescusers are continuing to search for survivors, many of whom are believed to be stranded in lodges and huts, though hiking remains difficult due to waist-deep snow.

Speaking earlier in the week, Gopal Babu Shrestha, treasurer of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, said: “This is one of the worst mountaineering accidents that I can remember.”

The Nepalese government has announced a high level committee with two senior ministers to monitor and co-ordinate rescue efforts.

The country’s climbing business is still recovering from the deaths of 16 guides, killed when an ice avalanche struck the lower reaches of Mount Everest in April.

More than one in 10 of the 800,000 tourists who visited Nepal in 2013 went hiking or climbing, providing an important revenue stream for the aid-dependent country that relies on income from tourism for four per cent of its gross domestic product.

Additional reporting by Press Association