7 Dead, Dozens Feared Missing After Avalanche Hits Tourists During Photo Op Near Mountain Pass in India
The death toll could rise to 20 or 30, officials believe, though the number of people still trapped under the snow in northeastern India is unknown
At least seven people were killed in an avalanche that struck India's northeastern state of Sikkim on Tuesday.
According to the Associated Press, the Indian army said that at least 23 tourists were rescued and 11 injured after the avalanche hit them as they traveled near the Nathu La mountain pass between Sikkim and Tibet.
Per Reuters, eight of the rescued are listed in critical condition.
"We are doing one more check before calling off the rescue operation since it is getting dark and some more snow has started coming down," senior police official Tenzing Loden Lepcha told the outlet.
Lepcha told CNN that rescue operations were ongoing. Per CBS News, officials believed the death toll could rise to 20 or 30, though how many people were trapped under the snow is unknown.
The incident occurred when travelers stopped to take photographs near a stream, Lepcha told Reuters. It is unclear whether some had left their vehicles before the avalanche hit.
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Kavita Agarwal, a traveler from Delhi, told the outlet that police warned tourists about stopping by a lake on the way to Nathu La pass because of weather conditions.
"Distressed by the avalanche in Sikkim," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said of the situation, per Reuters. "Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I hope the injured recover soon."
Footage of the rescue operation was posted to social media, and one clip appeared to show a man being carried after being pulled from the snow.
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Reuters reported that 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles were rescued after the snow was cleared from the road.
The Himalayan region is ecologically sensitive and has been severely affected by global warming, making it prone to avalanches, per AP.
Last year, 27 trainee mountaineers died in an avalanche in the northern Uttarakhand region, the outlet reported.
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According to CBS News, over 24 people were killed in February 2021 when a Himalayan glacier collapsed in Uttarakhand.
In 2013, more than 6,000 people were killed, listed as missing or presumed dead when monsoon rains caused flooding in the area.
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