Rescue efforts resumed Monday for two Japanese climbers and a Sherpa stranded near the peak of Manaslu, an 8,163-meter mountain in Nepal's Himalaya range, after their summit attempt was halted Friday by strong winds.

The Japan Workers Alpine Federation, a Tokyo-based climbing group, said rescuers are searching for Kazuyoshi Kondo, 59, a resident of Suginami Ward, Tokyo; Yukito Ueno, 47, of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture; and the Nepalese Sherpa. They also aim to recover the body of Isao Kuribara, 42, who was confirmed dead Sunday as a result of apraxia -- the loss of the capacity to carry out purposeful movements.

The helicopter search had been suspended the previous day due to poor weather.

The federation also decided Monday to dispatch two employees to the site. They are scheduled to reach Katmandu via Bangkok on Tuesday, the federation said.

The three surviving climbers have remained encamped on the mountain since the death of Kuribara, a resident of Gunma Prefecture.

Kondo, who was heading the party, is believed to be in extremely weak condition and is suffering from severe frostbite, said Nobuhiko Noguchi, head of the federation's secretariat. Ueno's condition is not known.

The party began their attempt to climb to the summit of Manaslu on Friday but gave up at an altitude of about 7,500 meters due to strong winds, Noguchi said.

The party then turned back but halted its descent and bivouacked at about 7,000 meters after Kuribara became weak, he said.

The federation said that contact with Kondo was maintained until Sunday evening local time in Nepal. Until that time, Kondo reportedly managed to joke with rescuers at base camp.

Last Tuesday, a separate three-member party belonging to the federation succeeded in reaching the summit of Manaslu, according to Noguchi. The members have returned to base camp and are participating in attempts to rescue the surviving members of Kondo's party, he said.

The Himalayas, a mountain range extending across south-central Asia on the border between India and Tibet, contains the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest.