Eight people, including seven trekkers and one trekking guide, have been missing for six days following an avalanche in the Kedartal area of Uttarakhand, northern India. The group disappeared on October 29 after heavy snowfall and an avalanche struck the mountainous region, prompting a search and rescue operation involving disaster response personnel and mountaineering specialists.
According to a local official cited by Xinhua on November 3, the trekkers had started a planned three-day expedition to the Kedartal area on October 27. They were last in contact with their trekking agency on October 29, when they reportedly requested assistance. However, communication was subsequently lost, leaving their whereabouts unknown. The incident has prompted a search operation in the Kedartal valley, where difficult weather conditions have created challenges for rescue personnel. Three porters and one cook who were accompanying the expedition were rescued three days before the latest report, while efforts continued to locate the remaining eight members of the group.
Avalanche and Heavy Snowfall Leave Eight People Missing
The trekking group set out for the Kedartal area on October 27 for a three-day journey. However, their expedition was disrupted when an avalanche struck the area on October 29 amid heavy snowfall. Following the incident, seven trekkers and their guide went missing, raising concerns about their safety. The missing group reportedly managed to establish contact with their trekking agency on October 29, when they asked for help. This was the last known communication from the eight individuals, according to the local official. Their disappearance led to a search effort in the area as authorities worked to determine their location.
The expedition also included three porters and one cook, all of whom were rescued three days before the November 3 report. Their rescue marked progress in the ongoing operation, although the remaining seven trekkers and one trekking guide had not been located at the time of the latest update. The avalanche and continued snowfall have made the search for the missing trekkers particularly challenging. The available report did not provide further details about the exact circumstances in which the trekking group became separated or the location where they were last seen.
Ten-Member Mountain Rescue Team Deployed
A 10-member Mountain Rescue Team was airlifted to the Kedartal valley on Monday to search for the missing trekkers and guide. The team brought together personnel from two organisations with roles in disaster response and mountaineering. The rescue team comprised six personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and four members of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM). Their deployment was aimed at supporting the search operation in the affected valley and locating the eight people who had remained missing since October 29.
The involvement of both organisations brought together disaster response personnel and mountaineering specialists for the operation. The team was tasked with searching for the missing members of the expedition following the avalanche and heavy snowfall. The deployment of the rescue personnel marked an important step in the search effort. However, the operation depended heavily on weather conditions in the valley, where the continuing rough weather limited the time available for search activities.
Rough Weather Forces Temporary Suspension of Search
Despite the deployment of the rescue team, search and rescue activities were called off by Monday evening due to rough weather. The unfavourable conditions in the Kedartal valley prevented the team from continuing its operation, delaying efforts to locate the missing group. Weather conditions have remained a major challenge throughout the incident. Heavy snowfall was reported when the avalanche struck the area on October 29, and rough weather continued to affect the rescue operation several days later.
The suspension of the search highlighted the difficulties faced by rescue personnel working in the mountainous region. Although the 10-member team had reached the valley, adverse weather conditions restricted the operation and prevented further progress on Monday evening. The local official confirmed that the search and rescue operation was expected to resume on Tuesday, November 3. The authorities were therefore preparing to continue efforts to locate the missing trekkers and their guide once conditions allowed the operation to proceed.
Search Efforts Continue for Missing Trekking Group
As of November 3, the eight members of the expedition remained missing, while the search operation was expected to continue with the involvement of the SDRF and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. The rescue team had been deployed to the Kedartal valley, but rough weather remained a major obstacle to the operation. The incident began with the group’s departure on October 27 and developed into a rescue emergency after the avalanche struck two days later. The last communication from the missing trekkers was received on October 29, when they reportedly contacted their trekking agency seeking help.
The subsequent rescue of three porters and one cook marked progress in the response, although the search for the other eight people remained unresolved. Further details about the identities and nationalities of the missing trekkers, their precise location and the progress of the planned November 3 search operation were not included in the report. The immediate focus remained on resuming the search and locating all eight missing members of the expedition.
Source -RSS
