British tourists survive avalanche in Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyzstan

Ten individuals, together with 9 Britons, are reported to have survived after an enormous avalanche swept over them within the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan.

Footage uploaded on Instagram by Harry Shimmin, one of many individuals on the trekking tour, confirmed snow beginning to break down a mountain within the distance, earlier than sweeping in direction of them and forcing the group to take cowl because the snow went excessive of them.

Shimmin had damaged away from the guided tour group to take pictures when he heard “the sound of deep ice cracking behind me”, in keeping with an account he posted alongside the video.

He added: “I’d been there for a couple of minutes already so I knew there was a spot for shelter proper subsequent to me.

“I left it to the final second to maneuver, and sure I do know it will have been safer shifting to the shelter straight away. I’m very conscious that I took a giant danger. I felt in management, however regardless, when the snow began coming over and it acquired darkish/more durable to breathe, I used to be bricking it and I assumed I would die.”

The Tian Shan mountains primarily straddle south-eastern Kyrgyzstan and its north- east border with China. They fashioned a part of the traditional Silk Highway buying and selling route from the Center East and Asia to the west.

Shimmin stated he knew the remainder of his group was additional away, so can be secure, and wrote of feeling “giddy” when he realised he was solely lined in gentle powder “with no scratch”. They’d been resulting from stroll the trail of the avalanche shortly afterwards.

“We’d have solely heard the roar earlier than lights out,” he stated.

Different members of the group – which additionally included an American – suffered a minimize knee, whereas one fell off a horse.

Shimmin added: “The entire group was laughing and crying, glad to be alive (together with the lady who minimize her knee). It was solely later we realised simply how fortunate we’d been. If we had walked 5 minutes additional on our trek, we’d all be lifeless.”