9 Trekkers Die After Losing Way Due To Bad Weather In Uttarakhand

Nine trekkers, part of a 22-member group, died after they lost their way due to bad weather and got trapped while on their way to Sahastra Tal (lake) in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi yesterday. 

A joint air-ground search and rescue operation has been launched and thirteen trekkers have been rescued so far, ANI reported. Due to bad weather, helicopters, part of the rescue, faced difficulties in the operation. Two Cheetah helicopters and State Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed.

Sahasra Tal Trek is a high-altitude trail at 15,000 feet in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. The 24-kilometre out-and-back trail takes approximately 10 hours to complete and trekkers take some of the most treacherous routes to reach the alpine lake in Uttarkashi's Ghansali.

District Magistrate Dr Meherban Singh Bisht has instructed the rescue teams to move into the region to save the remaining trekkers.

Arpan Yaduvanshi, the Superintendent of Police of Uttarkashi, has said, "On June 4, the SDRF team received the information about the missing trekkers in Bhatwari block of the district. The team 22 trekking members went missing due to the bad weather."

"After receiving the information, the administration acted upon it promptly, a rescue team of 10 members comprising officials from the SDRF, Forest Department and Police officials immediately rushed for the rescue operation. In the team of 22 trekkers, 18 belonged to Karnataka, one from Maharashtra and three of them were local guides. A joint rescue operation is underway to save the remaining trekkers," he said.