Avalanche in Himalayas kills at least four with dozens of people still missing

Four bodies were recovered while officials from the state and national disaster response forces and the Indian air force scoured the area, said the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, part of the defence ministry.

The avalanche took place in the Gangotri range of the Garhwal Himalayas Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP

At least four people died and several others were missing in the Indian Himalayas after a group of 41 mountaineers was hit by an avalanche on Tuesday, the mountaineering institute in northern India said.

The group, consisting of 34 mountaineering trainees and seven instructors, was hit by the avalanche at 8.45am local time, the institute said.