Search and rescue teams on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two members of an eight-person trekking group that went missing following a massive avalanche on the high-altitude Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on October 29, officials said.
The search operation will resume tomorrow. “After wrapping up the day’s search around 3pm, the rescue team returned to their base camp at Kedar Kharak. To streamline the rescue efforts, the team has built an alternative helipad near the incident site,” he added. The group of trekkers who went missing comprised of five male trekkers from West Bengal, two female trekkers from Uttar Pradesh, and a local guide from Uttarkashi.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said they have been facing difficulties in the search and rescue operation due to inclement weather in the area. The alarm was raised when four support staff members managed to navigate back to Gangotri on October 30 after losing contact with the remaining eight individuals during the slide.
“When the trekking agency, Soul Seeker, alerted us, rescue teams were immediately mobilised,” Gusain said.
