BENGALURU: Raghuveer, one of the guides from Himalayan View Adventure, the trekking agency in Maneri, which took the 22 Bengaluru-based trekkers to Sahastra Tal Mayali, has not slept since June 2. “I have been taking people for treks since the last 15 years and this is the first time that people have died.
I now have a more understanding of what could have happened at the Draupadi ka Danda trek in Uttarakashi, where there was an avalanche last year,” he told The New Indian Express. The Draupadi ka Danda peak is 5,670 metres in the Gangotri range of Garhwal Himalayas.
In September 2023, 29 trekkers, including the instructors of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, had got trapped there and 27 of them perished. Two of the remaining bodies were found in October. “I was one of the team members in the guiding expedition for those from Bengaluru. I walked for around 25-30 km searching for help.
But when my friend went to get help, I did not leave the side of the trekkers. It is very sad that nine people have died,” he said. Raghuveer said he would not be able to come out of the trauma so soon and stated that he tried his best to help each one of them and keep them safe, but the weather turned bad.
He said he could not remember how long the visibility was zero and how the others survived the harsh weather. “Weather can change any time in this area. Everything had gone fine, we were returning to the camp site when it all happened,” he said.