Seven people died and several were injured after an avalanche struck a construction camp near Mana village on the border between Tibet and India, while rescuers continue to look for the last missing person.

It was originally thought that 55 people were buried in the snow, however, the number was revised to 54 after one worker, presumed buried, was found to have made his way home safely before the avalanche hit.

Rescue teams managed to recover three bodies and rescue 50 people, however, four of them succumbed to their injuries later.

The Indian army said it airlifted a drone-based system to help with the search, deploying several drones and a search dog.

Anil, one of the survivors, told AFP about his rescue hours after he was buried, saying, "It was if God's angels had come to save us," adding that "The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving."

As the avalanche started, the container Anil and his coworkers were in started to slide, ""At first we did not understand what was happening but when we looked out of the window of the containers, we saw piles of snow all around," adding that, "the roof of the containers was also slowly bending inwards."

His colleague, Vipin Kumar, thought he was going to die as he found himself trapped under the snow, "I heard a loud roar, like thunder ... before I could react, everything went dark," he told the Times of India newspaper.

Dhan Singh Bisht expressed his gratitude to the rescue teams and their swift response which was responsible for the survival of his son and his nephew, "I am grateful to them," he said in a phone call with AFP.