No fewer than 41 people are still trapped following an avalanche in the Indian Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand after recent heavy snowfall in the region.
Authorities said that the avalanche occurred near a highway in the state’s Chamoli region, adjoining Tibet, and less than 5 km from the popular Hindu temple of Badrinath, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year.
It had earlier been reported that people were trapped after a glacier burst, before authorities confirmed it was an avalanche.
According to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, those trapped under the snow were construction workers for the federal Border Roads Organisation, stating that 16 people have so far been rescued.
DAILY POST reports that Uttarakhand, which is located in the high-altitude Himalaya range, is increasingly prone to flash floods and landslides due to rising global temperatures.