Officials say the search is still on for the remaining three missing mountaineers still underway in Uttarakhand state.
The death toll from an avalanche in Uttarakhand, northern India has risen to 26, with authorities saying a search for the remaining three missing mountaineers is still underway.
The avalanche struck 34 trainees and seven mountaineering instructors from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering on Tuesday at 8:45 AM (IST) near the Dokrani Bamak glacier, while returning from a high-altitude navigation exercise at Mount Draupadi ka Dhanda- II (5,670 meters).
The National Disaster Response Force, assisted by the Indian armed forces, and specialized mountaineering teams are currently involved in the search.
A statement issued by the institute on Friday said that the death toll has now increased to 26 – 24 of them being trainee students and two instructors. 12 climbers were rescued alive, albeit with minor injuries.
The rescue operation has been hampered by heavy rain and inclement weather that has made aerial search efforts difficult. But district officials say that the search on the ground is still on and injured mountaineers are being airlifted to a base camp of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police before being shifted to hospitals nearby.
Representational Image of an avalanche on Mount Everest: Hippopx, licensed to use under Creative Commons Zero – CC0.
