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One trekker dies from cold after being stranded for more than a week in Uttarakhand, 8 others rescued
A group of nine trekkers were stranded at Sanjal Sarovar lake in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district from June 5 onwards after encountering rough weather.
A man from a group of nine trekkers who were trapped near a lake in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district died while the rest were rescued, police said on Thursday.
The group, which had set out for the Panpatia glacier trek on June 5, were stranded at the Sanjal Sarovar lake due to rough weather.
Arun Kumar Das, a 35-year-old senior engineer with the Indian Railways, died from the cold. His body is yet to be recovered, and is likely to be brought back on Friday.
The remaining trekkers, all of whom are from West Bengal, are safe.
“The trekkers are safe and they have returned to Madmaheshwar. State Disaster Response Force is already on the move to rescue some of the porters who are still trapped at the lake side,” Prahlad Meena, superintendent of police, Rudraprayag, said.
The trekking team consisted of 12 porters and two guides apart from the trekkers. The group got stuck at the lake on Tuesday after the weather turned hostile.
The weather also trapped pilgrims returning from the Maa Purnagiri shrine in Champawat district on Wednesday evening after a storm led to landslides. The district administration had stopped movement of vehicles in the night at Bathna Gad, about 6.5km from the temple, to bring the pilgrims to safety. The pilgrims were allowed to move ahead after water from the Bathna Gad stream subsided and the debris was cleared away.
The Purnagiri temple is one of the biggest shrines of Uttarakhand and receives 50 lakh pilgrims every year, making it the most visited shrine in the state.
Devendra Gunjyal, superintendent of police of Champawat, said the situation returned to normal and vehicles began plying on the route again.
