Horror as at least 41 people trapped after huge avalanche

A massive avalanche trapped at least 41 people under the snow in the Indian Himalayas, local officials said on Friday.

The incident happened near a motorway in the state of Uttarakhand's Chamoli region, adjoining Tibet, and less than 3 miles from the Hindu temple of Badrinath, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year.

The avalanche struck a General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) Camp near Mana village in Garhwal Sector.

Initially, 57 people were buried under the snow, according to local police reports.

However, rescuers managed to pull out 16 people, senior police officer Rajeev Swaroop said on Friday morning.

Among them, five are in serious condition and are receiving treatment at a military facility, Sky News reports.

Around 150 soldiers are helping rescuers from the national and regional disaster response forces in searching for survivors.

Unfortunately, bad weather is hampering rescue efforts, local officials said.

"Currently, the rescue operation is slow because we are facing difficulties in movement due to active rainfall," Chamoli district magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said.

"As soon as the weather gets better, we will fast-track the rescue operation."

Mr Tiwari added that he had received no reports of casualties as yet, but the situation could change.

The Himalayan region is prone to avalanches, with one killing 22 trainee mountaineers back in 2022.