Seven people lost their lives on Tuesday following an avalanche on a road in the Indian Himalayas. The authorities fear that tourists have been buried under the snow and continue the search Tuesday afternoon to find the people still missing.
At least seven people died on Tuesday after an avalanche slammed into a road in the Indian Himalayas near the Chinese border, authorities said. The avalanche occurred around 11:10 a.m. (0540 GMT) on Tuesday on a busy road that connects Gangtok to Nathu La, a tourist region in the state of Sikkim (northeast), neighboring Tibet.
Lt. Col. Mahendra Rawat, an army spokesman, confirmed the death of at least seven people among the 23 tourists who were rescued until 4:00 p.m. (10:30 GMT) and transferred to medical facilities in the Indian army nearby.
Tourists possibly buried in snow
“Unfortunately, seven people succumbed to their injuries in hospital,” Lt. Col. Rawat said. “It is feared that 20 to 30 tourists in five or six vehicles en route to Nathu La have been buried in snow,” he added.
State disaster management teams, the military and police were continuing to search for those still missing, according to the army statement. There was no indication that foreign nationals were among the victims of the avalanche.