Twelve more bodies were recovered on Thursday, two days after a team of climbers from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi went missing after being trapped in an avalanche on their way back from a peak, the institute said.

Fifteen mountaineers are still believed to be missing.

The avalanche occurred at a height of 17,000 feet on Tuesday when the team was returning after summiting Draupadi Ka Danda II peak.

According to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), the recovery of 12 more bodies takes the toll to 16, most of whom are trainees.