Rescue teams found tents and bags belonging to seven missing trekkers and a guide near Kedar Kharak on Monday. The group went missing after an avalanche hit the Kedartal trek on October 29. Officials said, "The search operation is hampered by heavy snowfall and whiteout conditions," halting the rescue efforts.
Search and rescue teams on Monday found no trace of seven trekkers and a local guide who went missing following an avalanche on the high-altitude Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on October 29, officials said on Monday.
The team however recovered tents and bags near Kedar Kharak, the second major campsite at approximately 4,000 metres on the trail, officials said.
The missing trekkers include five men from West Bengal and two women from Uttar Pradesh and a guide from Uttarkashi.
"Our six members from high altitude rescue unit along with four members the from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) were heli-dropped at Kedar Kharak. Another team reached the site on foot. Despite intensive search at the site, we haven't found any trace of missing trekkers and a guide, even though we recovered their tents and bags from the site," State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) commandant said.
"The search operation is hampered by heavy snowfall and whiteout conditions....there is around five to six feet of snow in the area. However, we are trying our best to trace them. We have halted the operation for the day due to bad weather. The teams are currently camping at the Kedar Kharak and will resume the search as soon as the weather improves. It is not safe to keep the teams there for longer due to deteriorating weather conditions," official said.
According to a release from the District Emergency Operation Centre, Uttarkashi, a joint team from the forest department and the trekking agency set out for Kedar Kharak on foot on Sunday. Although they conducted a search operation at the site on Monday, they found no trace of the missing trekkers.
According to the release, the family members of the missing trekkers have been informed.
The avalanche struck near Kedar Kharak on October 29 while the group was descending from Kedartal, which is perched at an altitude of 15,485 feet (4,720 metres) in Uttarkashi district. Kedartal is an emerald glacial lake fed by the snows of Mt Thalay Sagar, Mt Bhrigupanth, and the Jogin peaks.
Beginning from Gangotri, the 18-kilometre trail winds steeply alongside the Kedar Ganga river. The route requires technical caution as it passes through dense birch forests, high-altitude alpine meadows, and unstable moraine fields.
Four support staff members who managed to return to Gangotri on October 30 alerted officials about the incident after losing contact with the remaining eight members.
According to officials, the 12-member expedition, comprising seven trekkers and five support staff, set off from Gangotri on October 27 and was scheduled to return on October 29.
"After an avalanche, contact with eight members of the group was lost, while four support staff returned to Gangotri on October 30. When the trekking agency, Soul Seeker, alerted us about the incident, rescue teams were immediately mobilised," said Shardul Gusain, Uttarkashi district disaster management officer (DDMO).