Uttarakhand avalanche: Over 20 mountaineers feared trapped
There were 34 trainees, seven mountaineering instructors and one nursing assistant, noted a communication from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, which said the avalanche struck at at around 8.45 am.
The SDRF, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Air Force were helping in the rescue efforts.
The peak is located in the Gangotri range of the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
According to officials of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) involved in the rescue and relief operation, the victims were part of a team from Nehru Mountaineering Institute (NIM) trying to climb the DKD-2 peak as part of their advanced training course. There were 34 trainees, seven mountaineering instructors and one nursing assistant, noted a communication from the NIM, which said the avalanche struck at at around 8.45 am.
“The DKD-2 peak is situated at a height of around 14,000 feet and the base of the NIM is at around 13,000 feet. The incident took place near the base camp as they were yet to reach the peak. The entire area is snow-covered and the challenge for us is to reach there. The air force choppers are doing recce and after that, they will either airdrop our teams or use a winch to rescue those trapped,” said SDRF Inspector General (IG) Ridhim Aggarwal.
She further informed that the trainees were in their advanced training course in which it is mandatory to climb the DKD-2 peak. “They all reached the base camp and started the climb soon after the weather cleared. In the morning all were roped up and a sudden avalanche hit them. Because they were roped up, all were trapped under the snow. All the trainees had completed their basic training course,” Aggarwal said.
Rating: 5