New Delhi: Avalanches are disastrous natural forces, made of swiftly flowing snow, ice, and rock that guarantee annihilation for any human settlements in their way.
They are caused by atypical precipitation, glacier debris or any form of external stress on compact snow.
In the last 10 years avalanches showed their deadly potential, claiming an average of 25 lives each winter season.
Such a substantial loss of life is not unusual when an avalanche hits.
Snow and sediment weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds can speed down mountainsides at hundreds of miles per hour, destroying anything in its path.
Here's a look at the deadliest avalanches in history:
