Two more trekkers’ bodies found, Uttarakhand avalanche toll rises to 6

The bodies of two more trekkers among the eight people who went missing after a massive avalanche on Uttarkashi district’s Kedartal trek route on October 29 were recovered on Thursday, taking the toll to six, officials said.

“A joint team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) informed us via satellite phone at around 9 am on Thursday that they had recovered the bodies of two men from two different locations,” Uttarkashi district magistrate Prashant Arya said.

Arya said that the bodies would be brought down to the Matli helipad near Uttarkashi on Friday for further formalities.

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“We have ordered a magisterial probe into the incident,” Arya said, adding that the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Bhatwari, Shalini Negi, has been appointed as the inquiry officer**.**

“The SDM Bhatwari will submit a comprehensive report on the matter within a week,” he said.

The avalanche struck near Kedar Kharak on October 29 as the expedition was descending from Kedartal, a glacial lake situated at an elevation of 15,485 feet (4,720 metres). Fed by the melting snows of Mount Thalay Sagar, Mount Bhrigupanth and the Jogin peaks, the lake is a popular destination for seasoned high-altitude hikers.

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The 12-member expedition — comprising seven trekkers and five support personnel — set off from Gangotri on October 27 and was slated to complete the circuit by October 29. Four support staffers who managed to reach Gangotri on October 30 after losing contact with the others alerted authorities about the incident.

The missing group consisted of five male trekkers from West Bengal, two female trekkers from Uttar Pradesh and a local guide from Uttarkashi. The search and rescue teams recovered two bodies on Tuesday and another two on Wednesday.

“The rescue teams will resume the search on Friday for the two remaining missing individuals,” Arya said.