Other1 min read

Kedartal avalanche: 8 trekkers still missing after 2 failed helicopter sorties

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The missing party includes five residents from West Bengal, two from Uttar Pradesh, and a local Uttarkashi guide who departed Gangotri on October 27. They became stranded on October 29 after a snowslide blocked their return, though four porters walking ahead managed to reach safety. A private team from the agency Soul Seekers previously spotted the group's tent but was forced to retreat about one kilometer away due to treacherous conditions. Ongoing snowfall and deep snow continue to challenge both aerial sorties and specialized rescue teams.

Key points

  • Two aerial helicopter search sorties failed to spot the missing individuals or their tent…: Two aerial helicopter search sorties failed to spot the missing individuals or their tents due to deep snow and poor weather.
  • State Disaster Response Force personnel with specialized mountaineering gear have been de…: State Disaster Response Force personnel with specialized mountaineering gear have been deployed to bolster ongoing rescue operations.
  • The trekking agency alerted local authorities on October 30, but aerial operations did no…: The trekking agency alerted local authorities on October 30, but aerial operations did not launch until late October 31.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

UTTARKASHI: Eight people, including seven trekkers and a guide, remained missing in the Kedartal region of Uttarkashi on Sunday, three days after an avalanche blocked their return route.

Two helicopter sorties failed to locate the group or their tents, while heavy snowfall and the threat of further avalanches hampered rescue operations.

Authorities deployed another State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) mountaineering team with specialised equipment to intensify the search, officials said.

The missing trekkers were identified as Tapas Bauri, Ratan Ghosh, Manoj Khovas, Rintu Mandal and Uday Ghosh, all from West Bengal, and Deepika Verma and Vartika Verma from Uttar Pradesh. Their guide, Siddharth Rana, a resident of Uttarkashi, was also missing.

Gangotri National Park deputy director Mayank Garg told TOI that rescue teams had found no trace of the eight despite continuing search efforts.

The group had left Gangotri for Kedartal on Oct 27 but became stranded after an avalanche struck the trekking route on Oct 29.

Four porters who had moved ahead of the trekkers managed to return safely to Gangotri, while the remaining eight could not make their…

Other