DEHRADUN: A search operation for seven trekkers and a local guide missing near Kedartal in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district continued on Sunday, with rescue teams conducting aerial reconnaissance as heavy snowfall and avalanche conditions hampered efforts to reach the area.
The missing group comprises trekkers from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and a local guide. Rescue officials said deep snow and difficult terrain had made it challenging for ground teams to advance. Helicopter surveys were being used to look for the group and any signs of their tents.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said a specialist mountaineering team had been deployed for the search. The SDRF’s Gangotri team had earlier surveyed the area on foot, but could not proceed because of heavy snowfall and hazardous conditions.
"Given the difficulties on the ground, it was decided to conduct an aerial reconnaissance and search of the area by helicopter," Yaduvanshi said.
Two SDRF personnel, Head Constable Ravi Chauhan and Constable Deepak Pant, travelled by helicopter to Harsil, from where the aircraft conducted two detailed surveys of the Kedartal region, SDRF sources said. The search, however, yielded no clear visual signs of the missing trekkers or their tents.
An additional SDRF team has been sent from the force’s headquarters with rescue and mountaineering equipment. It will join or support the operation when conditions permit, officials said. The SDRF is coordinating with other agencies to plan the next phase of the search.
The group had set out from Gangotri on October 27, according to the district administration. It comprised seven trekkers and six support staff. The members were expected to return the same day that severe snowfall and worsening weather disrupted their route.
Mayank Garg, deputy director of the Gangotri National Park, said an avalanche had blocked the route beyond Bhoj Kharak, leaving eight members of the party cut off from rescuers.
"Three porters and a cook have been found safe near Kachchi Dhang. The remaining eight people are stranded beyond Bhoj Kharak after an avalanche," Garg said. Rescue teams were working to cross the snow-blocked stretch, but the avalanche had slowed their progress, he added.
The district administration said one cook had returned to Gangotri on Thursday. Garg’s account said four support crew members had been located safely near Kachchi Dhang, leaving the seven trekkers and one guide unaccounted for.
Officials said the search would continue, with teams assessing weather and terrain conditions before attempting to move further into the affected area. Heavy snowfall, unstable snow and the risk of further avalanches remain major concerns for rescuers.
The Kedartal area, a high-altitude trekking destination in Uttarkashi district, is difficult to access even in favourable weather. Rescue agencies are relying on aerial reconnaissance and specialist mountain teams to locate the missing group and determine a safe route to reach them.
