Snow kills Russian skier in Gulmarg; four rescued

A Russian skier died after he came under a huge pile of snow at the famed winter resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir following an avalanche on Friday. Rescuers pulled out four foreign skiers to safety.

Tragedy struck the recreation area when the five men were skiing in the upper reaches of Gulmarg. "The Russian group boarded the Gondola ropeway at around 11.30 am and came under an avalanche around noon," said an official spokesman of Jammu and Kashmir government.

Officials identified the deceased as Stanislav. He said Stanislav and the other four skiers had moved to Shinmai bowl despite strict instructions by the department that it was among the avalanche-prone zones.

"The skiers had also signed an indemnity bond that they would not go into the backcountry where avalanches occur on a regular basis," said the spokesman. The group had arrived at arrived in Gulmarg on February 14.

This is second skiing-related death at the Gulmarg resort in the past month. On January 18, a Swedish skier died after being buried under the snow following an avalanche in the Apharwat area. A special ski patrol team had rescued another skier then.

The spokesperson said the state tourism department holds sessions every Tuesday to make skiers aware of avalanche-prone areas. The department is also using the social media to raise awareness.

"In order to propagate avalanche awareness, the department also puts Avalanche Talk live on its Facebook. Besides, the department has also erected sign boards at different places at upper reaches of Gulmarg informing the skiers about the avalanche areas," he said.

DIDN’T PAY HEED TO WARNING: OFFICIALS

Officials said the group skiers had moved to Shinmai bowl despite strict instructions that it was a avalanche-prone zone. “They had also signed an indemnity bond that they would go into the back country,” said an official