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Search on for trekker after avalanche near Friendship Peak in Himachal’s Kullu
Trekker from Shimla was hit by avalanche just 20 metres short of summit of Friendship Peak near tourist resort of Manali on Saturday
A rescue team on Monday resumed the search for a trekker from Shimla who went missing after being hit by an avalanche just 20 metres short of the summit of Friendship Peak near Manali in Kullu district on Saturday.
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State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said the missing trekker, Ashutosh Himta, belongs to Deha area in Chopal sub division of Shimla district, along with his two friends, Sachin and Sahil, started hiking to the 5,289-metre Friendship Peak on November 17.
On Saturday morning, the trekkers were near the summit when the avalanche struck. While Ashutosh fell down from the edge of the mountain after being hit by the avalanche, his friends had a narrow escape.
His friends tried to look for him but returned to Manali later in the day and reported the matter to the police.
Manali sub-divisional magistrate Surender Thakur said that a rescue team, comprising police personnel and five mountaineers from the Adventure Tour Operators Association, was despatched on Sunday morning to trace the trekker but it couldn’t reach the spot.
“A team from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, was sent on a search mission on Monday morning,” he said.
Rescue at the altitude is challenging, particularly during the day, due to the danger of avalanches.
