Uttarkashi, Nov 6 (PTI) The body of one more trekker who went missing along the Kedartal trek route in Uttarkashi district eight days ago was recovered on Friday, taking the number of bodies retrieved so far to seven with one person still missing, officials said.
A joint search and rescue operation by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) is underway in the Kedartal trek region in Uttarakhand to trace trekkers and support staff who went missing following heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions.
Acting on information received through a satellite phone, the joint SDRF-NIM team searched areas where the missing persons were believed to be located. Three bodies of men buried under snow following an avalanche were recovered from different locations during the operation. Two bodies were recovered on Thursday and one on Friday, officials said.
The rescue team transported the bodies to the base camp, from where they were airlifted to the Matli helipad in Uttarkashi. They were subsequently taken to the district hospital.
Four bodies, including those of two men and two women, had been recovered during earlier phases of the search operation. With the recovery of three more bodies, the death toll has risen to seven, comprising five men and two women.
A 10-member team of the SDRF and NIM has been conducting the search operation at Kedarkhadak amid difficult terrain and challenging weather conditions.
Officials said 10 to 12 feet of snow had accumulated in the area following the avalanche, hampering rescue efforts.
On October 27, a group of 13 people, comprising seven trekkers and six support staff, had set out from Gangotri for the Kedartal trek.
They were scheduled to return on October 29, but adverse weather conditions, including snowfall and glacier formation, blocked the route, preventing their return.
Subsequently, on October 30, the trekking agency dispatched a team of porters and guides, who managed to clear a path for about six km.
The District Emergency Operations Centre had informed on Saturday that four people had been found safe, while eight were stranded beyond Bhojkhadak following an avalanche.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)