Uttarkashi avalanche: Five more bodies discovered, brought back to camp in Matli

Twenty-nine climbers, including 27 trainees and two instructors, who were part of an advanced mountaineering course 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 back from Draupadi ka Danda-II peak on October 4.

Uttarkashi: Bodies of five more avalanche victims were brought to the ITBP camp in Matli on Monday, even as continuous snowfall hampered the efforts to locate two mountaineers still missing. The discovery of five more bodies on Monday takes the number of bodies brought down from the summit camp so far to 26, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela said.

"One body is still at the summit camp while search for the two missing mountaineers continues," he said. Twenty-nine climbers, including 27 trainees and two instructors, who were part of an advanced mountaineering course 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 back from Draupadi ka Danda-II peak on October 4.

A multi-agency search-and-rescue operations by the SDRF, ITBP, Army and IAF was launched on the same day, which still continues. "Continuous snowfall over the avalanche-hit site is hampering search operation. But efforts to find the two missing mountaineers continue despite bad weather. We hope the operation will soon be over," the DM said. (PTI)