Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed sadness on the avalanche that claimed the lives of at least 10 mountaineers in Uttarakhand on Tuesday and said various teams are engaged in rescue and assistance work.

A team of 34 trainee mountaineers and seven instructors from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) was caught in an avalanche while returning from Mount Draupadi Ka Danda - II peak in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, officials said.

According to officials, 10 of them have been killed in the disaster.

"The avalanche incident in Uttarkashi is very sad. I have spoken to officials in this regard. Local administration, SDRF, NDRF, ITBP and Army teams are promptly engaged in relief and rescue works," Shah said in Hindi through his official Twitter handle.