At least 10 people killed, 18 missing after avalanche hits Indian Himalayas
At least 10 people have been killed and 18 others remain missing after an avalanche in the Indian Himalayas hit a group of 41 mountaineers on October 4, 2022.
According to the mountaineering institute in northern India, the group, consisting of 34 mountaineering trainees and 7 instructors, was hit by an avalanche on a mountain peak located in the Gangotri range of the Garhwal Himalaya at 08:45 LT.
Due to the severity of the incident, the Indian Air Force came to assist with rescue efforts before the start of heavy snow and rain, but then had to abandon the search during the night due to the blizzard and the intensity of the rain and reduced visibility.1
After rescue operations resumed on October 5, the Uttarakhand state police force said that rescue teams were able to recover the bodies of 10 climbers.
So far, 14 people have been rescued from the avalanche site at an altitude of 4 900 meters (16 000 feet) above sea level, and according to the police, 5 people have been taken to a local hospital in Uttarkashi region for treatment of their injuries.
Ace mountaineer Savita Kanswal, who had set a national record by climbing Mount Everest and Mount Makalu within a span of 15 days, was among those killed in the avalanche at Draupadi ka Danda-II in Uttarkashi district.2
The principal of the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) Col Amit Bisht confirmed her death on Wednesday. Her body is among the four bodies retrieved so far.
References:
1 Avalanche in Indian Himalayas kills at least 10; dozens missing – Press TV – October 5, 2022
2 Mountaineer Who Set National Record Among Those Killed In Uttarakhand Avalanche – NDTV – October 5, 2022
Featured image credit: TeleSUR (stillshot)
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