By Ahmad Adil
NEW DELHI (AA) – The death toll from an avalanche in the northern Indian Himalayan state earlier this week has risen to 26, with authorities saying a search for the remaining three missing mountaineers is still underway.
The National Disaster Response Force, assisted by the Indian armed forces, and specialized mountaineering teams are currently involved in the search, which began on Tuesday after an avalanche struck 41 trainees and instructors from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarakhand state.
According to a statement issued by the institute on Friday, the death toll has now increased to 26, including 24 trainee students and two instructors. Twelve climbers were rescued alive but with minor injuries.
The bodies of the victims will be moved by helicopter, depending on weather conditions, according to the statement, which also stated that search and rescue operation for the remaining three missing trainees is underway.
The avalanche struck 34 trainees and seven mountaineering instructors on Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. (0545GMT) near the Dokrani Bamak glacier, while returning from a high-altitude navigation exercise at Mount Draupadi ka Dhanda- II (5,670 meters).