Most of the dead and injured were tourists, some from Nepal or from Kolkata, Delhi or West Bengal in India. Report Sikkim government official Dushar Nigare. At least five of the seven killed were in their 20s or 30s. The slain young woman, Repya Singh, 6, hailed from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
According to a government statement, members of the Army, Disaster Response Force and Border Roads have been dispatched to carry out rescue operations. At least 5 vehicles and 20 tourists were trapped in the snow, it added.
Video During the rescue operation, army personnel were shown digging out the snow with shovels on the steep hillside. Some of the victims were dragged from the snow as the crowd looked on.
A Sikkim government statement said the search and rescue operation was called off at 6 pm due to “bad weather”. It will resume at 8 a.m. Wednesday “to account for any missing tourists.”
“I am saddened by the avalanche in Sikkim. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said He tweeted that“All possible assistance is being provided to the victims,” he said.
