Nine trekkers perished within hours
PrashantNews
A group of trekkers, mostly Bangaloreans, erupted in joy when they reached the picturesque Sahastra Tal in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand on the fateful day of June 3.
Located between Bhagirathi and Bhilangana valleys in Uttarkashi district at a dizzying height of more than 15000 feet, Sahastra Tal was also the final destination of the 19 odd trekkers and three guides. But the joy was short-lived.
While returning on the same day, the trekkers including 10 women had barely walked for few kms in the evening when they were caught off guard in a blizzard near Kuthulitop. The blizzard had totally unnerved the trekkers. Soon, the temperature started plummeting haphazardly sending shivers down their spine. The visibility became almost zero.
“It was very difficult for the trekkers to move even a yard near Kuthulitop,” said Manikant Mishra, Commandant of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) who closely supervised the entire rescue operation. Four trekkers died amid intense cold conditions after the blizzard struck.
As the darkness descended, the worries of the remaining trekkers compounded. The trekkers especially women started losing patience, said the trekkers who came back safely. There were lots of trekkers who were above 50 as the norms are not usually followed in such trekking expeditions.
“I can’t say whether these trekkers had warm clothes for the thermal insulation,” said Mishra. After the death of two trekkers, the desperations grew. As there was no help, seven more trekkers lost their lives in the next few hours.
Narrating the incident, Anil Bhatta, who was part of the trekking expedition, said once the group was caught in the blizzard, everything went haywire. He said he could not remember what happened when the blizzard stuck.
Rajesh Kumar, who was the guide, also said most of the trekkers fell unconscious when the snow storm was blowing. Without losing hope, Rajesh said he continued walking. After walking for nearly 18 kms next day, Rajesh informed the authorities about the tragedy in the evening. But by that time, a total of nine trekkers had lost their lives.
The next day on June 5, the Air Force helicopters showing great resilience rescued the stranded trekkers and airlifted them to Dehradun safely. Meanwhile, all the nine bodies were also airlifted to Dehradun.
According to the SDRF, a 22-member trekking team was sent by Himalayan View Trekking Agency, Maneri on May 29 on a 35 km long trek from Uttarkashi, which included 18 trekkers from Karnataka and one from Maharashtra and three local guides. This trekking team was to return by June 7.