Dehradun, A 10-member Mountain Rescue Team comprising personnel from the State Disaster Response Force and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering was airlifted to the site on Monday to search for eight individuals, including seven trekkers, who went missing on the Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi, officials said.
The trekkers' whereabouts became unknown after an avalanche near Bhojkhadak.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre , the MRT, consisting of six members from the SDRF and four members from NIM, was dropped at the location by helicopter on Monday morning. They will conduct a ground search for the seven trekkers and their guide.
Over the weekend, a helicopter from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority , carrying an SDRF team, conducted three intensive aerial reconnaissance sorties over the area. However, no trace of the trekkers or their guide, nor any of their belongings, was found.
A specialised team from the National Disaster Response Force , accompanied by four members from the 'Soul Seeker' trekking agency, has set out on foot from Gangotri toward the site to search for the missing trekkers. However, progress is being hindered by adverse weather conditions and snowfall along the route.
According to the SEOC, the deputy director of Gangotri National Park, along with police, army personnel, a medical team, and revenue department officials, have been stationed at the Harsil helipad.
{{/usCountry}}According to the SEOC, the deputy director of Gangotri National Park, along with police, army personnel, a medical team, and revenue department officials, have been stationed at the Harsil helipad.
{{/usCountry}}The group, comprised of 13 individuals, seven trekkers and six support staff, embarked on the Kedartal trek on October 27. One cook returned midway, while the remaining team members were scheduled to return on October 29. However, they were unable to return to Gangotri due to a blocked route caused by bad weather and heavy snowfall.
Officials stated that on October 30, the trekkers contacted the trekking agency by phone, reporting that they were stranded near 'Kachhi Dhang' and requesting assistance to get out.
Following this, the trekking agency dispatched a team of porters and guides on October 30, who managed to clear a path for about six kilometres. Subsequently, on the morning of October 31, the district administration deployed teams from the Forest Department, the NDRF, and other agencies to the site.
Four individuals, three porters and one cook, were found safe in the vicinity of Kachhi Dhang. However, the rescue team could not reach Bhojkhadak to search for the remaining eight people, as the route was blocked by avalanches and snowfall.
Among the missing trekkers, five are from West Bengal, and two are from Uttar Pradesh. They have been identified as Tapas Bauri , Ratan Ghosh , Manoj Khovas , Rintu Mandal , Uday Ghosh , Vartika Verma , and Deepika Verma . The missing guide is 25-year-old Siddharth Rana, a resident of Utaron village in Uttarkashi.
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