Search still on for missing naval officer, porter

Arriving at Joshimath, Rear Admiral Suraj Beri of the Indian Navy briefed the media about the Mount Trishul rescue operation. He said that a naval officer and a porter were still missing and the rescue operation would continue till they were found.

Chamoli (Uttarakhand): The search continues for a naval officer and a porter who went missing after an avalanche struck an expedition team that was going to conquer Mount Trishul.

Rear Admiral Suraj Beri of the Indian Navy, who reached Joshimath Tuesday, gave details of the accident to the media. He said that on the occasion of the Golden Victory Year, a 20-member team set out on a Western Naval Command INS to Mount Trishul expedition from Mumbai September 3. A group of 10 from the team started climbing the peak when an avalanche struck them leaving five naval officers and a porter missing. After this, with the help of Indian Army and Air Force, the bodies of four missing officers of the navy were recovered within 48 hours.

“However, the search operation will be carried out till the bodies of the missing navy officer and the porter are found,” Beri said.

The rescue operation has been hampered due to inclement weather. Another avalanche Tuesday morning also halted the operation. This will be resumed as soon as the weather improves.

Rear Admiral Beri said that he too had inspected Mount Trishul with an Indian Army officer and found that it was a very dangerous expedition. It required a steep climb of 65 to 80 degrees, which was a very difficult task.

The naval team was expected to conquer Mount Trishul between October 1 and 3.