Death toll in Indian Himalayas avalanche rises to 10

Evacuees rest after being airlifted during a rescue operation for 26 missing climbers struck by an avalanche in the northern state of Uttarakhand. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI - Ten people are confirmed dead after an avalanche struck a climbing expedition in the Indian Himalayas, police said on Wednesday, with rescuers retrieving six more bodies and 18 others still missing.

“Rescue teams have recovered 10 bodies,” the Uttarakhand state police force said on Twitter, adding that a total of 14 people had been rescued.

Several dozen climbing trainees were caught in Tuesday morning's snowslide near the summit of Mount Draupadi ka Danda-II in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

Twelve people were rescued from the scene of the incident, around 4,900m above sea level, before heavy snow and rainfall halted rescue efforts for the night.

"The weather is alright now and rescue operations have resumed," said Uttarakhand state disaster agency spokesman Ridhim Aggarwal.

She said that none of those rescued had serious injuries, but some were under observation at hospital.

The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering said the group included 34 of its trainees and seven instructors.

Senior disaster management official Devendra Singh Patwal said that two air force helicopters had been sent to the region to assist with the search.

Fatal climbing accidents are common on the treacherous terrain of the Himalayas, home to Everest and several of the world's highest peaks.

In August, the body of a mountaineer was recovered two months after he fell into a crevasse while crossing a glacier in the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh.

And last week, renowned US ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson's body was found on the slopes of Nepal's Manaslu peak after she went missing skiing down the world's eighth-highest mountain.

On the day of Ms Nelson's accident, an avalanche hit on the 8,163m mountain, killing Nepali climber Anup Rai and injuring a dozen others who were later rescued.

Although no substantial research has been done on the impacts of climate change on mountaineering risks in the Himalayas, climbers have reported crevasses widening, running water on previously snowy slopes, and the increasing formation of glacial lakes. AFP

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