Uttarakhand avalanche death toll rises to four, four trekkers missing

The death toll from an avalanche in India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand has risen to four, while four people remain missing, officials said Thursday, according to Anadolu Agency.

Four bodies have been recovered near Kedar Kharak, at an altitude of about 4,000 metres (13,123 feet), Uttarkashi District Disaster Management Officer Shardul Gusain said.

“Four people have died so far, and four remain missing,” Gusain said, adding that the missing trekkers were buried under the snow. Two of the four people who died were women, he said.

The group set out on a trekking expedition on Oct. 27 and was due to return on Oct. 29. When they failed to return as scheduled, authorities launched a search operation.

A joint team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) is conducting search and rescue operations along the Kedartal trekking route.

Heavy snowfall, poor visibility and difficult high-altitude terrain have hampered rescuers’ efforts to locate the missing trekkers.