Daijiworld Media Network - Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi, Nov 3: The search operation for eight people, including seven trekkers and a local guide, missing in the Kedartal region of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district resumed on Tuesday morning after heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions forced rescuers to suspend operations on Monday.
The rescue team informed the Uttarkashi district disaster management office at 7.30 am that the operation had resumed following an improvement in weather conditions. Teams from the Uttarakhand Police's State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) are conducting the search in the high-altitude region, where difficult terrain, fresh snowfall and avalanche-hit stretches have made access challenging.
The search intensified after rescue personnel located tents, bags and other belongings near the Kachhi Dhang area at an altitude of around 4,000 metres on Monday. The teams reached the suspected location after travelling from Bhoj Kharak towards Kedarkhand. However, none of the eight missing people could be traced. An aerial reconnaissance operation was also conducted, but it did not yield any definite information about their whereabouts.
The missing group had set out from Gangotri for the Kedartal trek on October 27 after obtaining permission from the Forest Department. The expedition comprised seven trekkers and support staff, including a guide, a cook and porters. The group was scheduled to return to Gangotri on October 29, but heavy snowfall, glacier movement and avalanches along the route prevented them from returning as planned.
Authorities received information on October 30 that members of the group were stranded near Kachhi Dhang and needed assistance. The trekking agency subsequently sent porters and guides to clear the route. The team managed to clear a stretch of approximately six kilometres, but several sections remained inaccessible because of accumulated snow and avalanche debris.
Four members of the party, comprising three porters and a cook, were subsequently found safe near Kachhi Dhang. The remaining eight, including five trekkers from West Bengal, two women from Uttar Pradesh and a 25-year-old local guide from Uttarkashi, continued to remain unaccounted for.
The missing persons have been identified as Tapas Bauri, 30, Ratan Ghosh, 23, Manoj Khovas, 39, Rintu Mandal, 40, and Uday Ghosh, 30, from West Bengal; Vartika Verma, 28, and Deepika Verma, 29, from Uttar Pradesh; and local guide Siddharth Rana, 25, from Uttarkashi district.
Rescue efforts have involved multiple agencies. A 10-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team left Uttarkashi for Gangotri on October 31 to assist in the operation. Personnel from the SDRF, Forest Department, trekking agency and other local teams were also deployed towards the affected region. An SDRF team from Gangotri reached the Kedartal area for reconnaissance on November 1, while helicopter-supported searches and ground operations were undertaken to locate the missing people.
However, repeated attempts to reach the affected stretch have been hampered by snowfall and multiple avalanches along the trekking route. Rescue personnel have faced difficulties crossing the avalanche-hit sections between Bhoj Kharak and Kedartal. The discovery of tents and personal belongings has provided a possible indication of the missing group's location, but their condition and exact whereabouts remain unknown.
Meanwhile, the Uttarkashi Forest Division has temporarily stopped issuing permits for treks at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above until weather conditions improve. Divisional Forest Officer Jeevan Mohan Dagade said the restriction would remain in force until further orders. The measure covers routes including Lamkhaga Pass and Trikhanta, where weather conditions are currently considered unfavourable for trekking.
The latest rescue operation has renewed concerns over high-altitude trekking during unstable weather conditions in the Himalayan region. Authorities are continuing efforts to locate all eight missing people as weather conditions and access to the affected areas permit.