NEW DELHI: At least nine Indian trekkers died in the Himalayas after gett­ing trapped during a blizzard, authorities said on Thursday, as rescue teams airlifted their bodies and five survivors to safety.

The Indian Air Force shared footage on Thursday that showed rescue teams working near a helicopter in the snow-covered mountains.

The group of climbers, hailing from the southern state of Karnataka, were hit by heavy snowfall in the remote mountains of Uttarakhand state in north India, said Krishna Byre Gowda, a top Karnataka minister.

“Snow intensified into blizzard. By 6pm, 2 trekkers succumbed to bad weather. Snow and wind made movement impossible. Visibility dropped to nil. They huddled together for the night on the route. Some more succumbed in the night,” Gowda wrote in a social media post on Wednesday.

A guide with the group alerted rescuers about the situation on Tuesday evening after trekking for a while to find mobile network connectivity, and teams reached the spot early on Wednesday, the minister added.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2024