According to local police, a major avalanche in India's northeastern state of Sikkim killed seven tourists and injured 13 others on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 11:10 a.m. local time when several vehicles traveling to Nathu La mountain pass were hit by snow.
The army reported that at least 20 people were rescued alive. Rescue operations are ongoing, and some of the survivors are in critical condition. The avalanche struck a road connecting Nathu La and the state capital Gangtok, near the Nathu La mountain pass. Unseasonal rain and snow in the area were blamed for the rare avalanche at this time of year, according to senior police official Tenzing Loden Lepcha.
The army rescued 350 tourists and 80 vehicles after clearing the snow from the roads. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Twitter to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.