Uttarkashi avalanche: Army dogs Indra and Razia being hailed for tracing bodies

Indra, and Razia, the Labrador dogs have taken part in many rescue operations in the past and are posted in the Army's Dog Squad since birth.

Uttarkashi: The efforts of two Army dogs are being hailed in the ongoing search operation in Draupadi ka Danda II peak in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand where 27 climbers died. Two trainers are said to be missing at the spot. Twenty-nine climbers, including 27 trainees and two instructors, who were part of a 42-member advanced mountaineering group at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, had gone missing after they were struck by a massive avalanche at an altitude of 17,000 feet on their way from Draupadi ka Danda-II peak on October 4.

In the multi-agency search-and-rescue operations by the SDRF, ITBP, Army and IAF were launched on the same day, which still continues, the role of Indra and Razia, the two Army dogs posted in the dog squad of the Army's Centre Command, Lucknow, have played an important role in finding the missing climbers.

Indra and Razia, the Labrador dogs, have so far traced four climbers' bodies. Indra's handler Lance Naik Prabhudas and Razia's handler Lance Naik Shubhankar Pal said that both are in the army since birth and have participated in many rescue operations so far. During the rescue in the Dokrani Bamak glacier area, both used to work for five to six hours, they said.

On Tuesday, Indra and Razia reached Matli helipad by Air Force helicopter and will stay in the army camp at Tekhla for a few days. It is likely that they will be sent again to the spot if required. Trainee climbers and trainers were hit by the avalanche on October 4 at around 9.45 am. On October 4, the first responder recovered four bodies.

On October 5, 13 of the 42 climbers were rescued. On October 6, the rescue team reached the spot and recovered 15 bodies. On October 7, the rescue team recovered seven more bodies. Four bodies recovered on the day of the incident were taken to Uttarkashi. On October 8, seven bodies were taken from Advance Base Camp to Matli Helipad.

At the same time, the rescue team recovered another body from the spot. On October 9, 10 bodies were brought to Matli by an army helicopter. So far 27 bodies have been handed over to the relatives. At the same time, two climbers are still missing. The rescue operation has been stopped due to snowfall and bad weather.