Uttarkashi: At least five trekkers were killed after a 22-member trekking team, which had gone trekking to Sahastra Tal in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, lost their way due to bad weather and got trapped on the route. The rescue team has recovered a total of five bodies from the incident site.
On Wednesday, teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued 11 individuals in the Bhatwadi block of Uttarkashi district, while two others are present in nearby base camp.
Trekkers lost its way due to bad weather
The Sahastra Tal Alpine Lake, located at an altitude of 4,100-4,400 meters in the upper Himalayan region, was the destination for a 22-member trekking team sent by the Himalayan View Trekking Agency, Maneri. The trek, which began on May 29, spans 35 km from Uttarkashi, an official said.
Uttarkashi District Magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht said that the team was constituted of 18 trekkers from Karnataka and one from Maharashtra, besides three local guides. The team was to return by June 7, but lost its way due to bad weather as it approached Sahastratal from the last base camp, Bisht said.
Indian Air Force has been requested to rescue
He said that the Indian Air Force has been called upon to assist in rescuing the stranded trekkers and locating the bodies of those who perished during the Malla-Silla-Kushkalyan-Sahastratal trek.
Bisht further said that all the arrangements have been made for rescue operations from Matli, Harsil, and other helipads. "A 10-member recce and rescue team from the forest department has crossed Silla village, while an SDRF team left Uttarkashi early on Wednesday for Budha Kedar in Tehri district," the DM said.
Search operation underway
Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation is being conducted at a rapid pace to search for and rescue the remaining four members of the twenty-two-member trekking team involved in the accident. The local administration has initiated ground and air rescue operations to save the remaining trekkers who are still stranded on the Sahastra Tal trek route.
This afternoon, the helicopter rescue team encountered difficulties in conducting their rescue operation due to bad weather in the Himalayan region.
In light of the situation, District Magistrate Dr Meherban Singh Bisht has instructed the rescue teams to expedite their efforts in the region to save the remaining trekkers.
Arpan Yaduvanshi, the Superintendent of Police of Uttarkashi, has said, "On June 4, the SDRF team received the information about the missing trekkers in Bhatwari block of the district. The team of a total of 22 trekking members went missing due to the bad weather."
"Upon receiving the information, the administration acted upon it promptly and a rescue team of 10 members comprising officials from the SDRF, Forest Department and Police officials immediately rushed for the rescue operation. In the team of 22 trekkers, 18 belonged to Karnataka, one hailed from Maharashtra and three of them were local guides. A joint rescue operation is underway to save the remaining trekkers," he said.
(With agencies input)
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