Uttarkashi Avalanche: 19 Bodies Recovered So Far, Many Still Missing As Rescue Operations Continue

A total of 30 rescue teams were deployed

New Delhi: As many as 19 bodies have been recovered from the crevice, Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said on Friday, three days after a team of climbers from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering was trapped due to an avalanche in Uttarkashi, as reported by the news agency ANI.

Many people are still believed to be missing. The rescue operation which are going on for around 70 hours is getting affected due to bad weather.

While 17 of the bodies are of trainee mountaineers, two are of their instructors, it said. According to the NIM, 10 trainees are still missing, as reported by the news agency PTI.

"Till now, 19 bodies have been recovered. Rescue operation is underway by teams of NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, Indian Army, and district administration. I'm also monitoring the rescue operation," ANI quoted Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami as saying.

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 7, 2022

A total of 19 bodies have been recovered from the crevice. Efforts will be made to bring the bodies to Matli helipad by Advanced Light Helicopter today. A total of 30 rescue teams were deployed, ANI quoted Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar as saying.

A total of 30 persons from various teams of ITBP, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Air Force, Army, SDRF, etcetera have been deployed for the rescue operation, ANI reported.

Two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters took off from Harsil in Uttarakhand to help in the search operations, officials said, as reported by PTI. The avalanche hit Draupadi Ka Danda II peak at a height of 17,000 feet on Tuesday when the team was returning after summiting.

Earlier on Thursday, a 14-member team from High Altitude Warfare School based in Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir joined the rescue operation for the missing mountaineers, as reported by the news agency PTI.

The team, which specialises in high-altitude rescue operations, will help in the joint efforts by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and mountaineers from NIM in their efforts to find the missing climbers, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said, PTI reported on Thursday.

(With Inputs from agencies)