The victim was skiing with a Swedish compatriot in Gulmarg, a mountain resort in Indian-administered Kashmir that is frequented by families and winter adventurers, when the avalanche rattled down the slopes on Thursday.
Rescue workers found one of them alive and “safe” in the snow, but his fellow skier was killed in the flood, local police superintendent Imtiyaz Hussain said.
Hussain said an avalanche warning had been issued the day before by local authorities after heavy snowfall covered mountains in the western Himalayas.
The two are said to have been seasoned skiers exploring Gulmarg’s highest point, which is reached by a high-altitude gondola, he said.
Nestled in the mountain range that surrounds the Indian-controlled Kashmir Valley, Gulmarg is just a stone’s throw from the highly militarized, disputed border with Pakistan.
The “Gulmarg Gondola” is one of the highest cable cars in the world, transporting and dropping passengers to an altitude of 4,100 meters and leading them on a dizzying descent that will challenge even the most experienced skiers.
For the more adventurous, there are plenty of opportunities to turn off the slopes and cut through pristine snow.
But it’s not without its risks. Last June, seven people, including two children, were killed when the cable car fell to the ground.
Avalanches are also common, killing tourists and soldiers alike in the steep, remote mountains.
Last year, 20 people died in a series of avalanches in the north of the Himalayan Territory. In 2010, a snow slide killed 17 Indian soldiers during a training exercise at a military college.
At least 140 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in 2012 when a single massive avalanche hit a Pakistani military camp across the border.
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