Quake-hit Nepal reopens Annapurna circuit after experts give all clear

Rescue team members from the Nepal police search for the victims at the muddy area that used to be a small village, swiped away by a flash flood caused by an avalanche in the Annapurna mountain range on Saturday, in Kaski district May 7, 2012. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal reopened its most popular trekking trail to tourists on Thursday after international experts said it was safe, three months after two devastating earthquakes led the government to close most hiking routes.Miyamoto International, a California-based structural engineering company, said in a report that quake-related damage in the Annapurna region "was very limited".

Less than 1 percent of the route and 3 percent of guest houses along the Annapurna circuit were damaged, it said, adding the report for the Everest region would be completed shortly.