At least 19 climbers died in an avalanche accident in the Himalayas.

Ten more were still missing, said an employee of the Indian civil protection of the German Press Agency on Friday.

Salvage operations on Draupadi Ka Danda II were still ongoing and were hampered by bad weather.

The avalanche hit the mountaineering team on Tuesday at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters while they were descending.

Team leader Nayab Subedar Anil Kumar told local NDTV that most of his team's 42 climbers took refuge in a crevasse during the avalanche.

The weather in the Himalayas is generally worse in autumn and winter and the risk of avalanches is higher than in spring.

As a rule, more climbers climb the mountains in spring.