Bodies of 4 more state trekkers recovered from Uttarakhand

The rescue operation to locate and save stranded trekkers in Uttarakhand concluded on Thursday, with four more bodies of Bengaluru residents recovered.

The rescue operation to locate and save stranded trekkers in Uttarakhand concluded on Thursday, with four more bodies of Bengaluru residents recovered, officials said.

Nine trekkers who were part of a 22-member group, died after losing their way due to bad weather while on their way back from Sahastra Tal, Uttarkashi. (PTI)

State minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who is overseeing the rescue efforts, confirmed that the bodies of Padmanabha KP (60), Venkatesh Prasad K (53), Anita Rangappa (60), and Padmini Hegde (34) were found on Thursday morning and transported to Uttarkashi by air.

Nine members of the 22-member trekking team, organised by Himalayan View Trekking Agency, Maneri, embarked on a 35-km trek from Uttarkashi on May 29. The team became stranded in the Himalayan region in the state due to extreme weather conditions late Tuesday night. The search-and-rescue operation involving multiple agencies ended on Thursday with nine deaths and 13 survivors.

Post-mortem examinations were conducted in Uttarkashi. The remains of the nine Bengaluru trekkers were brought to North Kashi from Dehradun on Thursday evening.

On Wednesday, eight trekkers were rescued and shifted to Dehradun. A day later, the five remaining survivors, who stayed in Uttarkashi, were moved to Dehradun as well.

“I met with the chief secretary of Uttarakhand, Radha Raturi, and secretary of disaster management Sri Ranjit Sinha to thank them for their swift response during this calamity,” state revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda told reporters. “I requested their help in arranging an aircraft to transport the bodies to Bengaluru. All nine bodies will likely reach Bengaluru on Friday. After embalming in the local hospital, we are planning to airlift all the bodies to Bengaluru today itself.”

Gowda said that the bodies will be transported in ambulances to Delhi airport once embalming is done. “After embalming, the bodies will be transported in ambulances to Delhi airport. We are booking space for tomorrow morning’s Delhi-Bengaluru flights. As the flights are booked, we will intimate the arrival details for the deceased persons,” he said. “In the meantime, we have booked tickets for today’s 5.50pm flight to Bengaluru for all 13 survivors.”