Trekkers, who got stuck at Pindari glacier due to avalanche, hiking back

As per the information received by the rescue team, a lightning struck and a big snowball was formed that uprooted the tents of trekkers on April 20 evening.

A group of 14 trekkers, including 13 foreign nationals, who were stuck at Pindari glacier in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district on April 20 evening due to an avalanche, are safe and hiking back, officials said.

The trekkers are returning safely, said Sikha Suyal, disaster management officer at Bageshwar.

The trekkers are returning safely, said Sikha Suyal, disaster management officer at Bageshwar. “Their tents and belongings are buried under snow,” Suyal said. “On April 21 morning, they had reached zero point, and would reach Duyali by today evening, where they would rest overnight.”

“Our teams dispatched for their rescue would meet them on the way and they would trek down along with them,” she said. There were no health concerns but authorities have kept a helicopter on standby, Suyal said.

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“We had received information on April 20 evening about stranded trekkers due to an avalanche from Ravi Kumar, India programme director of the National Outdoor Leadership School, a non-profit global wilderness school, and Suresh Madhan of the US Embassy,” said Lalita Negi, spokesperson of the State Disaster Response Force. “These trekkers, which included one Indian and 13 foreign nationals, had gone to Pindari glacier for training.”

Local administration and rescue teams were pressed into service immediately, Negi said.

“As per the information received by the rescue team, a lightning struck and a big snowball was formed that uprooted the tents of trekkers on April 20 evening,” said Anuradha Pal, district magistrate, Bageshwar. “They are trekking down. Their belongings are still buried under the snow, around 20 km from zero point.”