ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Eight mountain climbers were killed and several were believed trapped under snow after they were caught by an avalanche in northeast Turkey, the local governor said.
Some 16 people had been buried by the avalanche on the Zigana mountain, site of a small ski resort in Gumushane province, near the Black Sea Coast, the governor Enver Salihoglu told Turkish broadcaster NTV.
Four people have been pulled from the snow injured and were being treated at a local hospital.
Salihoglu said one of those injured was in a serious condition.
The first television footage from the region showed military personnel and locals carrying one climber through deep snow as rescue operations continued on the snow covered slopes.
(Writing by Daren Butler; editing by Michael Roddy)
