Rescue teams from the SDRF, NDRF, and NIM resumed search operations in Uttarkashi after bad weather temporarily halted efforts.
The missing group of eight includes seven trekkers from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, along with a local guide.
Rescue personnel recently recovered two bodies from the avalanche zone as high-altitude search efforts continue near Bhojkhadak.
Search Resumes For Eight Missing On Kedartal Trek In Uttarakhand
SDRF, NDRF, and UCADA helicopter teams resume joint high-altitude search operations near Bhojkhadak after severe snowfall and an avalanche stranded a 13-member expedition group
Summary
Search for eight people, including seven trekkers, who went missing on the Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district six days ago resumed on Tuesday amid rising fears for their safety and well-being.
The Uttarkashi district disaster management office said it received an update from the rescue team at 7.30 am that the operation, which entered its fifth day, had resumed as weather conditions had improved.
Personnel from the Uttarakhand Police’s State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) are conducting the search amid difficult terrain and challenging conditions.
The SDRF said on Monday evening that a tent and other items had been found at an altitude of around 4,000 metres.
The Uttarkashi Forest Division has stopped issuing permits for treks at altitudes of 4,000 metres or above until weather conditions improve.
“We are currently not issuing permits for treks above 4,000 metres as weather conditions are not favourable. Permits will be issued once the weather improves. The restriction will remain in force until further orders,” Divisional Forest Officer Jeevan Mohan Dagade said.
The Lamkhaga Pass and Trikhanta treks are among the routes located above 4,000 metres.
On October 27, a group of 13 people, comprising seven trekkers and six support staff, set out from Gangotri for the Kedartal trek. They were scheduled to return on October 29, but adverse weather, snowfall and glaciers blocking the route prevented their return, officials said.
On October 30, the trekking agency sent a team of porters and guides, who cleared a path for around six kilometers.
The District Emergency Operations Centre said on Saturday that four people had been found safe, while eight remained stranded beyond Bhojkhadak following an avalanche.
A 10-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team left Uttarkashi for Gangotri on October 31 to join the rescue operation. Teams comprising two Forest Department personnel, seven members of the trekking agency and six SDRF personnel were also deployed towards Kedartal.
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An SDRF team from Gangotri had reached the Kedartal area for reconnaissance on November 1, but heavy snowfall and adverse weather hampered the operation, officials said.
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