In a major tragedy, nine persons from Bengaluru are feared to have died during the Sahastra Tal trek in Uttarakhand when they were caught in a blizzard while returning to the base camp from the peak on June 3.
A collaborative effort involving the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army, Air Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and forest and revenue departments managed to rescue 13 of them and recover the bodies of the five so far.
The group, consisting of 22 people, 18 from Bengaluru, one from Pune, along with guides and porters from Uttarkashi, set out for the Sahastra Tal summit on May 29 from Silla village in Bhatwari block and were scheduled to return to Silla on June 7.
Adverse weather
Sahastra Tal is a high-altitude lake 4,232 metres above sea level in Uttarkashi. The trekkers were struck by adverse weather conditions and strayed off course in the mountains.
Having left their trekking gear and the support staff at Lamb Tal, the final night halt before the ascent to Sahastra Tal, they had no help, tents, or adequate food supplies, forcing them to seek shelter under the rocks for the entire night. The following morning, after the weather cleared, the support staff initiated the rescue operation.
After receiving initial medical aid, eight of the survivors reached the state guest house in Dehradun on Wednesday, while five others are expected to reach there on Thursday.
The five deceased trekkers are Sindhu Vakekalam (45), Asha Sudhakar (71), Sujata Mungurwadi (51), Vinayak Mungurwadi (54), and Chitra Praneeth (48), all residents of Bengaluru.
Also Read: Huge Number Of LS Candidates In Gujarat Lost Security Deposits
