Dehradun, A 10-member Mountain Rescue Team comprising personnel from the State Disaster Response Force and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering was airlifted to the site on Monday to search for eight individuals, including seven trekkers, who went missing on the Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, officials said.
They will conduct a ground search for the seven trekkers and their guide. The MRT, consisting of six members from the SDRF and four members from NIM, was dropped at the location by helicopter on Monday morning, according to the State Emergency Operations Centre .
A specialised team from the National Disaster Response Force , accompanied by four members from the ‘Soul Seeker’ trekking agency, has set out on foot from Gangotri toward the site to search for the missing trekkers. However, progress is being hindered by adverse weather conditions and snowfall along the route.
The group, comprised of 13 individuals, seven trekkers and six support staff, embarked on the Kedartal trek on October 27. One cook returned midway, while the remaining team members were scheduled to return on October 29. Following this, the trekking agency dispatched a team of porters and guides on October 30, who managed to clear a path for about six kilometres. Subsequently, on the morning of October 31, the district administration deployed teams from the Forest Department, the NDRF, and other agencies to the site.
However, they were unable to return to Gangotri due to a blocked route caused by bad weather and heavy snowfall. Over the weekend, a helicopter from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority , carrying an SDRF team, conducted three intensive aerial reconnaissance sorties over the area. However, no trace of the trekkers or their guide, nor any of their belongings, was found. Four individuals, three porters and one cook, were found safe in the vicinity of Kachhi Dhang. However, the rescue team could not reach Bhojkhadak to search for the remaining eight people, as the route was blocked by avalanches and snowfall.
The deputy director of Gangotri National Park, along with police, army personnel, a medical team, and revenue department officials, have been stationed at the Harsil helipad, according to the SEOC.
