Uttarakhand: 11 trekkers, including 7 from West Bengal dead, rescue operation underway
Of the eleven trekkers found dead, one is from Delhi and the rest are from West Bengal besides three cooks from Uttarkashi who were part of the team.
(Image Source: Twitter)
Written By
Edited By
Shampa Sen
Source
DNA Web Desk
The bodies of 11 trekkers have been recovered from the area leading to Uttarakhand's Lamkhaga Pass where 17 trekkers lost their way on October 18 due to heavy snowfall. The Air Force has launched a massive rescue operation here since October 20. Uttarakhand's Lamkhaga Pass is situated at an altitude of 17,000 feet.
Lamkhaga Pass is considered one of the most treacherous passes connecting the Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh with Harsil in Uttarakhand. IAF has deployed two Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) choppers to reach Harsil, a tourist hill station of Uttarakhand.
The rescue team of the Indian Air Force along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel conducted a search operation at an altitude of 15,700 feet where four bodies were found. The rescue team also managed to find a survivor at an altitude of 16,800 feet who was unable to move.
IAF on Friday rescued a survivor & recovered five mortal remains from around 16500-feet altitude near Lamkhaga Pass in Uttarakhand after a group of 17 trekkers including tourists, porters & guides had lost their way on Oct 18 at Lamkhaga Pass due heavy snowfall&incliment weather
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2021
On October 22, the ALH crew managed to rescue a survivor and bring back five dead bodies from a height of 16,500 feet in four shuttles amid extreme climatic conditions. The rescue teams have handed over the bodies of the trekkers to the local police. The survivors were administered first aid at Harsil before they were sent to the district hospital in Uttarkashi.
Of the eight trekkers found dead, one is from Delhi and the rest are from West Bengal besides three cooks who went along with the team. The dead trekkers have been identified as Anita Rawat (38) from Delhi, Mithun Dari (31) from West Bengal, Tanmay Tiwari (30), Vikash Makal (33), Saurav Ghosh (34), Saviayan Das (28), Richard Mandal (30) and Suken Manjhi (43), all from Kolkata.
The cooking staff was identified as Devendra (37), Gyan Chandra (33) and Upendra (32) all from Purola in Uttarkashi.