A group of 28 trainee mountaineers from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering were trapped in an avalanche at Draupadi Ka Danda peak in Uttarkashi district on Tuesday, prompting Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to seek the Army's help to expedite rescue operations.

The National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and a team of mountaineers from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering have already launched rescue operations, Dhami said in a tweet.

The chief minister also spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over phone and sought the Army's help in speeding up the rescue operations.