Training Expedition Turned Into a Tragedy as Massive Avalanche Roared Down the Himalayas,16 Climbers Dead

During a training expedition, sixteen climbers were murdered when a wall of snow collapsed in the Himalayas. Although 15 other people survived, finding further survivors proved difficult due to the poor weather.

(Photo : Photo by JOHANN GRODER/EXPA/AFP via Getty Images)

Tragic Disaster

At least 16 climbers were killed, and another 10 more are still missing after a large avalanche crashed down a steep range in northern India during a training excursion in the Himalayas.

Fortunately, as of Thursday, two exhausting days after the 34 trainee mountaineers and their seven instructors from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) were caught in the avalanche. According to authorities in Uttarakhand, the majority remained stranded; approximately 15 individuals had been rescued.

The party had barely descended Mount Draupadi ka Danda-II in the Uttarakhand area when an avalanche occurred at the height of around 17,000 feet close to the top. The students were getting ready to practice high-altitude navigation.

Also Read: How Do Experts Measure Snow in Mountains?    

Barely Survived

One of the climbers, Aakash Lalwani, claimed the wall of snow dragged everyone down in a matter of seconds and plunged them into a deep chasm after trapping them in the mountain's top reaches. Lalwani, one of the survivors who was rushed to the Uttarkashi district hospital for treatment, said, "We were blessed that we could somehow breathe.

"The majority of survivors remain in shock, "said Indo-Tibetan Border Police official Vivek Pandey.

According to Vishal Ranjan, registrar with the institute and Uttarakhand Police, bad weather at the scene of the avalanche has hindered both air and ground rescue efforts and on Wednesday brought a halt to rescue operations. Officials said that the weather also posed a challenge in retrieving the bodies of those who died.

"It is a challenging operation that may last for a few days given the weather and other factors, Pandey added.

Many of the missing trainees had been stuck in the 60- to 70-foot chasm for at least two hours, a top official participating in the search informed the Times of India, and as each minute passed, prospects for any further survivors dwindled. He stated that the golden window for rescue under these circumstances is only a few hours; therefore, the chances of survival are quite slim.

According to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Twitter, the victims included two female instructors and experienced climber Savita Kanswal, the first Indian woman to ascend Mount Everest and Mount Makalu. On this week's trip, Kanswal, 27, who had summited Everest earlier in the year, was acting as an instructor.

According to authorities, there were also 14 trainees among the deceased.

Two Indian Air Force helicopters had been dispatched to the area to aid in the search, according to senior disaster management official Devendra Singh Patwal, who spoke to AFP. Five major disaster response organizations saved sixteen persons in two days, including the National Disaster Response Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and institute officials.

Particularly Deadly Terrain

On the dangerous terrain of the Himalayas, home to Everest and some of the highest peaks in the world, fatal climbing mishaps are frequent. A mountaineer's body was found in August, two months after he died in a glacier crossing accident in the neighboring Himachal Pradesh.

Related Article: How to Survive an Avalanche: Expert Tips When Snow Becomes Deadly  

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