Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A massive avalanche killed at least 10 people and left many others stranded in India on Tuesday.
The avalanche occurred in Draupadi's Danda-2 mountain in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district. Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand said he had received information that 28 trainees from the Nehru Mountaineering Institute were trapped, according to the Hindustan Times.
Rajnath Singh, the defense minister of India, said he was deeply anguished by the deaths.
"Deeply anguished by the loss of precious lives due to landslide, which has struck the mountaineering expedition carried out by the Nehru Mountaineering Institute in Uttarkashi," Singh said. "My condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones."
The Times of India reported that officials at the State Emergency Operation Centre said that the avalanche had occurred at around 5,300 meters in altitude.
"Fresh snow, massive crevasses and accessibility is a major challenge as one has to trek for around two days from Bhatwari through Tela and Jungle Chatti, to reach the area," Piyoosh Rautela, executive director of Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, told the Times of India.
