Four British climbers have been rescued from an avalanche-hit Himalayan mountain range, Indian authorities said Sunday, as a frantic search continued for eight other mountaineers still missing in its treacherous heights.

Helicopters airlifted the group to safety after they were spotted early Sunday at a base camp near India's second-­highest mountain, the 7,826-meter Nanda Devi. Scores of emergency workers were combing the peaks in two choppers and on foot as rescue operations entered a ­second day, having been hampered by rough weather on Saturday.

The eight missing climbers - four Britons, two Americans, an Australian woman and an Indian - were set to scale an unclimbed summit in the previous week in the mountain range, which includes the world's 23rd-highest peak.

Authorities said the four rescued were not part of the larger group but were in touch with them until May 26, a day before the avalanche struck the mountain.

The group, led by British climber Martin Moran - who has successfully climbed the mountain twice in the past - had initially set out for the Nanda Devi peak but a later post on his Facebook page hinted that they were attempting to scale a virgin peak in the region.

The group was expected to report back to the Munsiyari base camp on May 26 but a porter stationed at the camp reported to authorities that the group remained missing on May 31, prompting a search operation.