At least four dead and 30 missing after avalanche in northern India

At least four people have died and another thirty are still missing after an avalanche on Draupadi Ka Danda II peak, located in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, a region mostly covered by glaciers and the fringes of the Himalayan range.

The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) has reported that the avalanche occurred as a team of 34 trainee mountaineers, seven instructors and a nursing assistant was returning to base camp.

At the moment, 28 of these trainee climbers are still trapped. The NIM has reported that rescue efforts, also involving the Indian Air Force, have recovered four lifeless bodies.

The state’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, has reported that he has contacted India’s defense minister, Rajnath Singh, to request the presence of the Army to speed up the rescue work, reports ‘The Hindu’.