An army spokesman, Colonel J S Brar, said that scores more were still missing as rescuers were searching for them in deep snow. Seventy personnel have been rescued, he said.

The dead included an officer, Lt Prateek, and twelve other ranks from the Army's prestigious High Altitude Warfare School, he said.

Some of those seriously injured are in a critical condition in a hospital in the scenic tourist spot of Gulmarg. PTI