Nine trekkers from Karnataka die in Uttarakhand blizzard, 13 rescued
Nine trekkers from Karnataka lost their lives in Uttarkashi near Sahastra Tal in Uttarakhand due to adverse weather conditions. Their bodies will be airlifted to Dehradun and then to Bengaluru after postmortem and embalming on Thursday, June 6. The group, comprising a total of 22 members, lost their way on June 3 due to intense snowfall, which then turned into a blizzard.Of the 13 rescued members, eight trekkers have been stationed at a guest house in Dehradun. The remaining five people would be transported once the weather conditions turn favourable. Revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who is overseeing the rescue operations in Uttarakhand, said that the health condition of all rescued people are normal. “On June 3, two members exited the main group to trek alone. They were not caught in the blizzard. The remaining 20 trekkers, along with guides, went from Lambtal campsite to Sahastra Tal. The incident occured when the 20 members were returning to the camp and were around two hours away. The snowfall, which started at 2 pm, intensified into a blizzard two hours later. Two trekkers died by 6 pm and the poor visibility made the group’s movement impossible. Few more members died during the night,” he added. The next morning, at around 11 am, some trekkers started moving towards the camp. The guides accompanying the trekkers got supplies for the stranded trekkers from the camp and tried to move to a place where there was mobile connectivity. In the evening, a signal was established and a guide contacted the Karnataka Mountaineering Association and Indian Mountaineering Federation to inform them about the situation. The Karnataka and Uttarakhand governments started a joint rescue operation on June 4 night. Army, Airforce, SDRF and various government agencies were roped in on June 5.The Sahastra Tal trek, located at an altitude of 15,000 feet in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, is known for its challenging terrain. Around 19 of the total 22 members were from Karnataka. The deceased have been identified as Sindhu Wakelam (44), Asha Sudhakar (71), Sujata Mungurwadi (52), Vinayak Mungurwadi (55), Chitra Praneeth (48), Padmanabha KP, Venkatesh Prasad K, Anita Rangappa and Padmini Hegde. The rescued trekkers who have been stationed in Dehradun have been identified as Soumya Canale, Smruti Dolas, Sheena Lakshmi, S Shiva Jyoti, Anil Jamtige Arunachal Bhatt, Bharat Bommana Gouder, Madhu Kiran Reddy and Jaiprakash BS. S Sudhakar, Vinay MK, Vivek Sridhar, Naveen A and Ritika Jindal will be airlifted from Uttarkashi later today.Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had expressed deep sorrow and said he was pained to learn that nine trekkers from Karnataka have died after being caught in bad weather near the Sahastra Tal. "All attempts are being made at the government level to bring back everyone who has gone missing. The adverse weather is posing a major obstacle to the rescue mission, and our government is trying all possible measures and working beyond capacity to bring back the trekkers from the state," he added.
NINE trekkers from Karnataka lost their lives in Uttarkashi near Sahastra Tal in Uttarakhand due to adverse weather conditions.
Their bodies will be airlifted to Dehradun and then to Bengaluru after postmortem and embalming on Thursday, June 6. The group, comprising a total of 22 members, lost their way on June 3 due to intense snowfall, which then turned into a blizzard.
Of the 13 rescued members, eight trekkers have been stationed at a guest house in Dehradun. The remaining five people would be transported once the weather conditions turn favourable.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who is overseeing the rescue operations in Uttarakhand, said that the health conditions of all rescued people are normal. “On June 3, two members exited the main group to trek alone. They were not caught in the blizzard.
The remaining 20 trekkers, along with guides, went from Lambtal campsite to Sahastra Tal. The incident occurred when the 20 members were returning to the camp and were around two hours away. The snowfall, which started at 2 pm, intensified into a blizzard two hours later. Two trekkers died by 6 pm and the poor visibility made the group’s movement impossible. Few more members died during the night,” he added.
The next morning, around 11, some trekkers started moving towards the camp. The guides accompanying the trekkers got supplies for the stranded trekkers from the camp and tried to move to a place where there was mobile connectivity.
In the evening, a signal was established and a guide contacted the Karnataka Mountaineering Association and Indian Mountaineering Federation to inform them about the situation.
The Karnataka and Uttarakhand governments started a joint rescue operation on June 4 night. Army, Airforce, SDRF and various government agencies were roped in on June 5.
The Sahastra Tal trek, located at an altitude of 15,000 feet in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, is known for its challenging terrain. Around 19 of the total 22 members were from Karnataka.
The deceased have been identified as Sindhu Wakelam (44), Asha Sudhakar (71), Sujata Mungurwadi (52), Vinayak Mungurwadi (55), Chitra Praneeth (48), Padmanabha KP, Venkatesh Prasad K, Anita Rangappa and Padmini Hegde.
The rescued trekkers who have been stationed in Dehradun have been identified as Soumya Canale, Smruti Dolas, Sheena Lakshmi, S Shiva Jyoti, Anil Jamtige Arunachal Bhatt, Bharat Bommana Gouder, Madhu Kiran Reddy and Jaiprakash BS. S Sudhakar, Vinay MK, Vivek Sridhar, Naveen A and Ritika Jindal will be airlifted from Uttarkashi later today.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had expressed deep sorrow and said he was pained to learn that nine trekkers from Karnataka have died after being caught in bad weather near the Sahastra Tal.
"All attempts are being made at the government level to bring back everyone who has gone missing. The adverse weather is posing a major obstacle to the rescue mission, and our government is trying all possible measures and working beyond capacity to bring back the trekkers from the state," he added.
