Indian media have reported a death toll of up to 10 after the avalanche, which occurred at an altitude of 4,880 meters in Uttarakhand state (north).
Ridhim Aggarwal, chief of operations from Uttarakhand, spoke of a total of 42 members of the expedition “trapped in the avalanche”: four died, 12 were rescued and 26 are still missing. “The operation was suspended for the night because there was a lot of snow in the area,” added the official, who previously reported 33 people trapped by the avalanche.
A group of trainees
The group consisted of trainees from a local mountaineering institute, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. He confirmed the presence in the group of 34 trainees and seven supervisors, without naming a 42nd team member named by the rescue leader.
“We have sent two Air Force helicopters and the third is on standby due to bad weather,” Disaster Management Officer Devendra Singh Patwal said. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted “deploring the loss of precious lives from a landslide that struck an expedition organized by the Nehru Institute in Uttarkashi, the district capital.