By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Uttarkashi, 4 Nov: The search and rescue operation to trace the missing trekkers and supporting staff on the Kedartal trek in Uttarkashi district continued today, with four bodies having been recovered so far. Three bodies were airlifted to the Matli helipad in Uttarkashi, while efforts were underway to retrieve the fourth body at the time of filing of this story. Of the three bodies brought to Matli, two have been identified as those of Vartika Verma (28) and Deepika (29), sisters who hailed from Gayatripuram, Vikas Nagar, Lucknow. The identification of the third body was still underway, according to the Bhattwari Tehsildar.
Earlier, a search operation conducted yesterday, following an improvement in weather conditions, had led to the recovery of the bodies of a woman and a man from an altitude of around 4,000 metres near Kachchi Dhang on the Kedartal trekking route. The latest recoveries have taken the total number of bodies recovered in the operation to four. The bodies brought to Matli were subsequently shifted to the District Hospital in Uttarkashi.
The search operation is being conducted by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Uttarakhand Police, in coordination with the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), the Forest Department and the trekking agency concerned. Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman confirmed that the rescue operation is continuing, with teams making sustained efforts to locate the remaining missing members of the trekking expedition.
It may be recalled that a 13-member expedition comprising seven trekkers and six supporting staff had departed from Gangotri for the Kedartal trek on 27 October. However, the team could not return within the scheduled time after adverse weather conditions, heavy snowfall and glaciers obstructed the trekking route. Following the receipt of information about the group’s failure to return, the district administration coordinated with various agencies to launch search and rescue operations.
The situation has remained particularly challenging because of the difficult terrain, heavy accumulation of snow and unpredictable weather conditions at higher altitudes. The search teams have been operating in the vicinity of Kachchi Dhang and other difficult stretches along the route, where access is extremely challenging.
Under the direction of SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi, the force’s teams are conducting the operation in close coordination with NIM and other rescue agencies. Despite the adverse weather and formidable geographical challenges, the teams have continued their efforts to trace the remaining missing trekkers and supporting personnel.
Meanwhile, SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said that an additional team, equipped with essential supplies, rations and other life-support materials, would be dispatched to Kedar Kharak to strengthen the ongoing operation and provide assistance to the personnel already engaged in the rescue effort. The SDRF and NIM teams are jointly continuing the search for the remaining missing members of the expedition.
