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CatastropheIndia

India: Deadly avalanche kills several, dozens trapped

April 4, 2023

Rescue workers are racing to retrieve survivors after an avalanche swept away scores of tourists near the Nathu La mountain pass on the India-China border.

https://p.dw.com/p/4PgR1
Soldiers clear snow from an avalanche near a mountain pass in India's Sikkim state
Up to 70 more tourists 'are feared to have been buried under the snow' according to rescue officialsImage: Indian Army/AP Photo/picture alliance

Cascading snow buried at least half a dozen vehicles on the route to Nathu La, a mountain pass between India's Sikkim state and Tibet on Tuesday.

At least 23 tourists have been pulled out of the snow by late afternoon and taken to a hospital for treatment. Up to 70 more tourists "are feared to have been buried under the snow," rescue officials said.

Officials do not believe any foreign nationals were among the visitors caught by the avalanche.

"Unfortunately, seven persons have succumbed to their injuries at the hospital," defense spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mahendra Rawat said in a statement.

Rescue operations are ongoing at the site, some 40 km (25 miles) from the state capital Gangtok. People were taking photographs near a stream when the avalanche hit around 11:30 a. m. (0600 GMT), according to a senior police official.

Soldiers clear snow from an avalanche near a mountain pass in India's Sikkim state
Rescue operations are ongoing at the site, some 40 km (25 miles) from the state capital GangtokImage: Indian Army/AP Photo/picture alliance

Images released by India's Defense Ministry showed rescue workers digging with shovels and heavy machinery clearing the churned-up snow left by the avalanche.

Himalayas affected by global warming

Over the past two years, avalanches in the Indian Himalayas have killed at least 120 people. In February, two Polish skiers were killed after an avalanche swept through a popular ski resort in the Kashmir region.

Avalanches and floodings are common in the Himalayan region, which has been severely affected by global warming. Summer and monsoon months increase the risk of incidents, as heavy rains and melted snow combine. 

India's Sikkim state is a popular tourist destination and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

In June 2013, monsoon floodings and landslides in the northern Himalayas claimed close to 6,000 lives in one of the worst natural disasters to strike India.

vh/dj (Reuters, AP, AFP)