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Uttarkashi Avalanche: Rescue Ops Delayed Due To Bad Weather

By LokMarg 7th October 2022

The operation to rescue the mountaineers stuck on the Draupadi ka Danda mountain peak in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, where an avalanche hit on October 4, was delayed due to bad weather conditions on Friday morning.

Sub Divisional Magistrate, Bhatwadi, Chatar Singh said that four more bodies of the trainee mountaineers were brought on Friday morning, which will be taken for post-mortem.
“Four more bodies of trainee mountaineers have been brought this morning. Bodies are being taken for post-mortem. Their families have been informed,” Singh told ANI.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that a total of 19 bodies have been recovered so far and he is monitoring the rescue operation.

“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,” he said.

Earlier today, Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said that efforts are being made to bring the bodies to Matli helipad by Advanced Light Helicopter today.

Out of the 19 bodies, four bodies were brought to the summit camp by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team deployed for the rescue operation, while 15 bodies were recovered at the place of the incident.

“From the summit camp, according to SDRF constable Sunil four bodies have been brought to the summit camp by the team,” said DGP Ashok Kumar.

Personnel from various teams of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), the Air Force, the Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the High Altitude War School in Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir have been deployed in the rescue operations, the official said.

Mountaineers from the NIM participating in a training course were trapped in a glacier crevice on Tuesday morning after an avalanche hit the peak. The team was returning after summiting.

NIM’s advanced training course team included trainees and instructors. On Thursday 12 more bodies were recovered.

Of the bodies recovered 14 were trainees and two were instructors, Uttarakhand Police said.

Earlier, Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami condoled the deaths of mountaineers.

“The rescue teams are working continuously and I am monitoring the situation”, the chief minister said.

On Tuesday, about 41 trainees and instructors of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering were hit by an avalanche. The institute said that the Advanced Mountaineering Course commenced on September 14 at NIM Uttarkashi.

The course moved to the mountain on September 23 with 41 people- 34 trainees and 7 instructors and one nursing assistant and arrived at the Base Camp on September 25. As per the training program, the course went on for high altitude training from October 2-October 4. After summiting the 5,670-meter altitude Mt Draupadi ka Danda II the team was on its way back when the avalanche struck at around 8; 45 am above camp 1 in which 34 trainees and 7 instructors got caught in it, according to a release by the NIM on October 4. (ANI)