Five missing in India avalanche Published duration 6 February 2013

image caption There has been heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh

Five people are feared killed after an avalanche hit a village in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh, officials said.

The incident took place in the tribal Kinnaur region, bordering Tibet.

Officials said the avalanche buried eight people in two homes in Kafnu village, some 200km (124 miles) from the state capital, Shimla. Three of them were later rescued.

There has been heavy snow in the remote Kinnaur region since Monday.

Popular scenic villages like Kalpa, the regional headquarters, are under more than 1.82m (6ft) of snow, officials say.

Last month, five people were killed in an avalanche in Kinnaur. At least 38 yaks, domesticated and owned by the locals, were also killed.