Lamkhaga Pass: Five out of 17 missing trekkers found dead, 2 rescued by IAF & NDRF

After a group of 17 trekkers including tourists, porters and had lost their way on October 18 at Lamkhaga Pass at an altitude of 17000 ft due heavy snowfall and incliment weather, five trekkers were found dead on Friday. The Lamkhaga Pass is one of the toughest passes connecting Kinnaur district with Harshil in Uttrakhand.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on October 20 had responded to the SOS call by civic authorities, following which two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) had reached Harsil in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand for rescue operations. A search was undertaken with three NDRF personnel onboard on while operating at the maximum permissible altitude of ALH aircraft at an altitude of 19500 ft in the afternoon hours

On October 21, an ALH was airborne once again with SDRF personnel and was able to locate two rescue sites. It inducted the rescue team at an altitude of 15,700 ft where mortal remains of four were found. The helicopter thereafter moved to another location and rescued a survivor from around 16800 ft who was unable to move.

On Friday, ALH recovered another survivor from around 16500 ft, in four shuttles, at an altitude of 16500 ft, despite unfavorable terrain and strong wind conditions. The mortal found remains were  handed over to local police.

How did the trekkers go missing? 

The trekkers had left Harshil in adjoining Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi for Chitkul in HP's Kinnaur on October 14, but they reportedly went missing during inclement weather from October 17 to 19 in Lamkhaga pass, a senior official informed. The porters lost their way while returning from the patrol and got separated from the ITBP team, District Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal told PTI.

The deputy commissioner said that the bodies of five trekkers were found buried in snow in different places by the rescue team. The bodies were gathered at one place and would be sent to Uttarkashi via helicopter on Friday, he added. 

"Two trekkers have been rescued but the condition of one of them is said to be very critical, he said. A joint search operation is being conducted by the Army, ITBP and Kinnaur Police to trace the missing trekkers," he added. 

A team of eight trekkers from West Bengal, one from Delhi and three cooks left from Harshil on October 11 through a trekking agency. They had obtained an inner line permit from the Uttarkashi Forest Department from October 13 to 21. Some of the team members have been identified as Anita Rawat (38) from Delhi, and Mithun Dari (31), Tanmay Tiwari (30), Vikash Makal (33) Saurav Ghosh (34) Saviayan Das (28), Richard Mandal (30) and Suken Manjhi (43), all from Kolkata.

(With Agency Inputs)