Missing hikers: Rescue helicopter unable to reach bodies in Himalayas

A helicopter mission to retrieve the bodies of five mountaineers in the Indian Himalayas had to be postponed on Wednesday because of windy conditions.

Mountaineer Ruth McCance, from Sydney, was on an expedition that was hit by an avalanche. Source: Facebook

A helicopter mission to retrieve the bodies of five climbers in the Indian Himalayas will resume on Thursday if weather conditions are fine, it's believed after the operation was postponed due to the wind.

The bodies were spotted 500 metres below where their eight-member international team, including an Australian, was hit by an avalanche.

Sydney mountaineer Ruth McCance is missing presumed dead on Nanda Devi East along with British team leader Martin Moran, three other UK climbers, two men from the United States and an Indian liaison officer.

Mountaineer Ruth McCance, from Sydney, was on an expedition that was hit by an avalanche. Source: Facebook

High-resolution photographs taken during an aerial mission has identified five bodies as well as a number of other personal effects such as rucksacks.

It's feared the three other climbers could be buried beneath the avalanche.

Indian Mountaineering Foundation spokesman Amit Chowdhury confirmed a helicopter mission had been launched on Wednesday morning to attempt to retrieve the bodies.

However, conditions were too windy for the helicopters to land on the mountain, Mr Chowdhury told AAP on Wednesday evening.

The operation is still active and if the weather is fine on Thursday it is believed the helicopter mission will go back up, he said.

Mr Chowdhury on Tuesday said he believes all eight mountaineers were together when disaster struck.

"It's not possible for someone in this party to go anywhere else," he said.

"There are no obvious survivors. If there were any survivors they would have been spotted because there's a huge amount of debris that has come down the mountain."

Mr Moran on 25 May sent a message saying his team of eight were preparing to ascend an unclimbed summit known only as Peak 6447m. They weren't heard from again.

It appears the men and Ms McCance were swept away from an altitude of about 5400 metres, Mr Chowdhury said on Tuesday.

The five bodies were found 400 to 500 metres lower down the mountain.

Authorities say the possibility of anyone still being alive is virtually zero.