At least 33 rescue workers have been killed after a huge avalanche slammed into a mountain road in Turkey, wiping out a rescue team.

The rescuers, who included military police and volunteers, had been searching for missing people following an earlier deadly avalanche in the eastern province of Van.

Some 300 emergency workers were sent to the road near the town of Bahcesehir to look for survivors after the first avalanche struck late on Tuesday, killing at least five people.

Turkey's emergency and disaster management agency said 33 bodies were recovered from the mass of snow on the steep slope. Earlier, Van province's governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said the dead included eight military police officers, three government-paid village guards, three firefighters and nine volunteers

Rescuers were searching for others still believed to be trapped. It was unclear how many more could be missing.

Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Show all 7 1 /7 Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow An avalanche slammed into a mountain road in the province, which borders Iran, wiping out a huge team of rescue workers sent to find two people missing in an earlier avalanche DHA via EPA Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members carry a victim of an avalanche, near the town of Bahcesaray, in Van province, eastern Turkey DHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members work in the snow around overturned vehicles IHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members carry a casualty IHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Turkish soldiers and locals try to rescue people trapped under avalanche IHA via Reuters Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Emergency service members work in the snow around overturned vehicles IHA via AP Turkey avalanche: rescue workers killed and dozens buried under snow Turkish soldiers and locals try to rescue people trapped under an avalanche Demiroren News Agency/Reuters

Some 30 emergency workers were either pulled out of the heap of snow or escaped themselves and were taken to hospital on Wednesday, the interior ministry said. There was no further information on their conditions.

TV footage showed dozens of people using shovels and pick-axes to dig into the snow and at least three overturned vehicles at the bottom of a hill.

The rescue operation was being hampered by heavy snowfall, fog and strong winds. One rescue vehicle was pulled out from under 16ft of snow, according to Turkey's interior minister, Suleyman Soylu.

The first avalanche buried a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus. Seven passengers survived along with the driver, who was reportedly trapped for 25 minutes before managing to break a window of the vehicle and escape.