Uttarakhand: 6 mountaineers, including Navy personnel missing in Bageshwar after avalanche

At least six mountaineers, including five Indian Navy officials and a porter, went missing after getting caught in an avalanche in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district. According to officials, the mountaineers were about to reach the peak of Mount Trishul when the deadly avalanche hit the area on Friday morning. 

Mount Trishul (trident), named after a weapon associated with lord Shiva, is a group of three Himalayan peaks located in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand. A statement from Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), quoting Colonel Bisht, said that a rescue team from NIM led by Col Bisht left for the avalanche-hit area in search of the missing mountaineers after receiving information at around 11 am. 

Read the official statements released by the Indian Navy here:

20 Navy Mountaineers had embarked on an expedition to Mount Trishul: Officials

According to an official statement, the rescue team has reached Joshimath. However, bad weather has thwarted the rescuer's planning. Meanwhile, a joint team of the Indian Army, Air Force and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have also joined the rescue operation.

Apart from the rescue personnel, a helicopter was also pushed into service, the statement added. News agency PTI reported that a 20-member team of mountaineers of the Indian Navy had embarked on an expedition to the 7,120 metre Mount Trishul about 15 days ago. They faced the avalanche before reaching their destination on Friday morning.

Earlier in April this year, two army soldiers sustained fatal casualties due to an avalanche in Sub Sector Haneef, Siachen Sector. 

(With inputs from PTI, Image: Pixabay/Representative)