7 trekkers stranded at 4,500m height in Rudraprayag; army to attempt rescue op today

An Indian Army chopper was requisitioned and it conducted a recce in Rudraprayag but it couldn’t carry out rescue operation due to bad weather. It will now attempt the rescue operation at 5 am on Monday.

Updated on: May 30, 2022, 02:32:56 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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DEHRADUN: The army will attempt on Monday to rescue seven trekkers stranded along the Pandav Shera trek at a height of around 4,500 metres in Rudraprayag district, an official said on Monday.

Seven trekkers have gone missing on Pandav Shera trek in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district at a height of around 4,500 metres

Ridhim Aggarwal, deputy inspector general of police (SDRF), said a high-altitude rescue team of the state disaster response force (SDRF) that was sent to Rudraprayag in a civil chopper on Saturday could not launch a search and rescue operation as the chopper failed to carry out rescue operation at such a height.

“On Sunday, we requisitioned for an army chopper that even conducted a recce in Rudraprayag but couldn’t carry out rescue operation due to bad weather. It will now carry out a rescue operation at 5 am on Monday, if the weather permits.”

Lalita Negi, media in charge of SDRF, said seven trekkers, who are from Uttarakhand, were making some documentary in Pandav Shera trekking area. “The trekkers messaged to the local administration through SMS that they are at a height of 4,500 metres without any food or water left.”

“A high-altitude rescue team of SDRF was dispatched to Pandav Shera area in the chopper from Sahastradhara Helipad in Dehradun with necessary rescue equipment and satellite phones for the quick rescue operation.

“The team reached Agastyamuni helipad in Rudraprayag in the evening but due to bad weather, they couldn’t start search and rescue operation.”

This is not the first-time trekkers have gone missing in the state. Many mountaineers and trekkers have even lost their lives in the state after they went missing or were caught in extreme weather events during mountaineering and trekking.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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