Uttarkashi: Nine trekkers were killed, ten rescued and three missing after their team of 22-trekkers got caught in bad weather while on way to Sahastra Tal alpine lake in Uttarakhand, officials said on Wednesday.
The rescued trekkers were airlifted, while the search for the remaining trekkers continues, who are reported to be stranded in this high Himalayan trek route. As soon as the administration received information about the incident, it sent a team on Wednesday morning and rescued six of them.
A 22-member trekking team was sent by Himalayan View Trekking Agency, Maneri, on May 29 on a 35-km long trek from Uttarkashi. The team comprised 18 trekkers from Karnataka and one from Maharashtra, besides three local guides, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht said. The trekkers were to return by June 7, but lost their way due to bad weather as they approached Sahastratal from the last base camp, Bisht said.
Air Force initiated search operation: The District Magistrate said he also requested the India Air Force to conduct a heli-rescue operation to rescue the stranded trekkers and retrieve the bodies of the deceased. The IAF launched the rescue in the early hours of Wednesday (June 5).
Two Chetak helicopters of the Air Force are deployed in the operation. Secretary Disaster Management Authority, Ranjit Sinha, was also apprised of the situation.
What actually happened: A 22-member trekking team comprising 18 members from Karnataka and one member from Maharashtra and three local guides was sent on the expedition to Sahastratal on May 29 by the Himalayan View Trekking Agency, Maneri on the Malla-Silla-Kushkalyan-Sahastratal trek.
The team was scheduled to return by June 7. Meanwhile, on June 4, while reaching Sahastratal from the last camp, the team lost its way due to bad weather. On investigation, the concerned trekking agency initially informed about the death of four members which later increased to eight.
On receiving information on Wednesday, as per the instructions of Commander, SDRF, Manikant Mishra, two high altitude rescue teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were rushed to the spot. While one team took off via helicopter from the Sahastradhara helipad, another team was kept as a backup with necessary equipment.
Rescue teams departed from different directions: Bisht said that SDRF and Forest Department rescue teams had left for the incident site from multiple directions to rescue the trekkers trapped on the Sahastratal trekking route.
The Forest Department's ten-member reconnaissance and rescue team had even moved ahead of Silla village. The SDRF team from the district headquarters Uttarkashi had also left in the wee hours of Wednesday for the rescue operation from Budhakedar in Tehri district.
Aerial reconnaissance: Superintendent of Police (SP) Arpan Yaduvanshi, who is heading this rescue operation, said that the SDRF mountaineering team is also going to leave for aerial reconnaissance from Dehradun by helicopter.
District Hospital Uttarkashi and Primary Health Center Bhatwadi have been put on alert mode. A team of 14 rescuers and a doctor has also left from ITBP Matli. A back-up team will be sent from the Nehru Institute Of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi. As per information, the Air Force's heli search and rescue team might leave soon to join the operation.
The disaster control room of the district has been continuously active since the evening of June 4 for the rescue operation. According to the information received by the control room, the Ardangi helipad has also been put on alert mode by the Tehri district administration.
An ambulance and a police team, along with one from the Public Works Department (PWD) have been also been deployed here. The rescue operation is a joint effort by the Forest Department, SDRF, police and the locals of Tehri who will leave on foot from Pinswad of Ghansali.
Message from the trekking agency: Bhagwat Semwal of the trekking agency said that to reach Sahastratal which is situated at an altitude of about 14,500 feet, one has to cover a generous distance of about 45 km on foot from the Sora village located in the Bhatwadi block.
The weather is favourable for conducting the trek during this time of the year. However, sometimes, when one reaches a certain height, fog spreads along with strong winds which forces trekkers to lose their way.
Meanwhile, Senior Medical Officer of Coronation Hospital Dehradun, Dr Deepak Chandra Gahtori said that 8 trekkers rescued from Sahastratal track have been admitted here. All the trekkers are from Bengaluru, Karnataka. Everyone's health was examined under the supervision of the surgeon and physician of the hospital. No one has any mental or physical problem, but everyone is being given good care. As soon as all the trekkers become completely healthy, they will be discharged from the hospital.
Giving information related to the Sahastra Tal Track Rescue Operation, Uttarakhand Mountaineer Organization President Bishnu Prasad Semwal said that as soon as the administration received information about the trekkers being stranded at Sahastra Tal, the rescue operation was started. This is the reason that 13 people from the 22-member trekkers team were rescued safely. Four bodies are still trapped there, rescue operation is going on to recover them.
