ITBP climber killed in Uttarakhand avalanche

New Delhi : A 38-year-old Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) climber has been killed after an expedition team of the border guarding force was hit by a "massive" avalanche in Uttarakhand, a senior official said on Saturday.

Head Constable Nurbu Wangdus and another climber of the force were trapped in the avalanche near the Gangotri peak at 21,890 feet on Friday, the official said.

Wangdus, an ace climber of the mountain-warfare trained force, was evacuated by his colleagues but he later succumbed to his injuries suffered during the avalanche, he said.

The climber was part of a 25-member ITBP Mt Gangotri expedition that was launched on September 21 from Uttarakhand's capital Dehradun.

"The team was preparing the route of summit ahead of advance base camp on October 11 early morning at around 20,000 feet when the avalanche struck," ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said.

"Wangdus was among the best climbers of the force," he said. The trooper hailed from Ladakh region. The ITBP is primarily deployed to guard the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.