8 trekkers missing in Uttarakhand for 5 days, bad weather hits rescue ops

Eight people, including seven trekkers and a local guide, have been missing for five days during a trek to Kedartal in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district. The search operation was suspended on Monday evening due to heavy snowfall, officials said.A group of 13 people, comprising seven trekkers and six support staff, set out from Gangotri on October 27 and was scheduled to return on October 29. However, heavy snowfall and a sudden change in weather blocked their route.On October 30, the trekkers contacted their trekking agency by phone, saying they were stranded near Kachi Dhang and needed help. The agency subsequently sent porters and guides to clear the route.Four support staff members – three porters and a cook – were later found safe near Kachi Dhang. The remaining eight people could not be located. An avalanche near Bhojkhadak further obstructed access to the area. The missing trekkers include five people from West Bengal and two from Uttar Pradesh. They have been identified as Tapas Bauri (30), Ratan Ghosh (23), Manoj Khovas (39), Rintu Mandal (40), Uday Ghosh (30), Vartika Verma (28) and Deepika Verma (29). The missing guide, 25-year-old Siddharth Rana, is a resident of Utaron village in Uttarkashi.RESCUE TEAM AIRLIFTED TO KEDARTAL VALLEYA 10-member Mountain Rescue Team (MRT), comprising six personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and four from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), was airlifted to the Kedartal valley on Monday to search for the group. The team carried out aerial reconnaissance and a ground search, while a separate nine-member team from the Gangotri National Park and Trekking Association searched the route from Bhojkhadak to Kedarkharak.A tent and a backpack were found in the Kachi Dhang area, but the search teams could not establish contact with the missing individuals. According to the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC), the operation was suspended due to deteriorating weather conditions, with rescue teams stationed at base camps in the area.Earlier, a helicopter from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), carrying an SDRF team, conducted three aerial reconnaissance sorties over the weekend. A specialised NDRF team, accompanied by four members of the trekking agency, also attempted to reach the site on foot, but snowfall and difficult terrain hampered their progress.The district administration has contacted the families of all eight missing people and informed them about the situation. Rescue operations are expected to resume once weather conditions improve.- Ends(with inputs from PTI)