Group of 6 trekkers was stranded due to rough weather on Oct 18-19
Wednesday, 27 October 2021 | PNS | Bageshwar
The bodies of five of the six trekkers who had gone missing while trekking at Sunderdhunga glacier, Devikund during the spell of heavy rain and snowfall on October 18-19 were recovered by the authorities on Tuesday. The local guide could not be traced despite efforts to ascertain his whereabouts. The personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and others involved in the search and rescue operation transported the five bodies in two army helicopters to the helipad at Kedareshwar ground in Kapkot. The bodies were taken to the community health centre in Kapkot where they were identified by their family members after which the bodies were sent for post mortem examination. The trekkers whose bodies were recovered have been identified as West Bengal residents Sagar De (27), Chandrashekhar Das (32), Sarit Shekhar Das (35), Pritam Rai (27) and Sadan Basak (63). The missing local guide Khilaf Singh could not be traced by the rescue team despite considerable efforts.
When the SDRF team reached the helipad in Kapkot, the Bageshwar district magistrate Vineet Kumar appreciated the efforts the team members had put in to retrieve the body despite inclement weather and difficult conditions.
The Kapkot sub divisional magistrate Paritosh Verma informed that the rescue team had spotted the bodies of the trekkers on Monday but could not reach them on the same day due to heavy snowfall. Efforts will be made again to ascertain the whereabouts of the guide who is still missing, he added.
