Teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) recovered 16 bodies in 58 hours of rescue operations at the Draupadi Ka Danda mountain peak in Uttarkashi. A 61-member group from NIM was hit by an avalanche early on the morning of October 4. Experts say the chances of survival of those still missing are low with the harsh weather conditions at the top of the mountain.
“Till 6 p.m. on Thursday, 32 people had been rescued, while 16 bodies were recovered from the peak which is 5,670 metres above sea level. So far, 13 people are missing,” NIM officials said, adding that the mountaineers participating in the advanced course were trapped in a glacier crevasse about 5,200 meters above sea level.
A total of 88 people from different organisations are participating in rescue operations.
The State government said that apart from the ITBP, the SDRF and the NIM, help is also being taken from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army, and the High Altitude War School in Gulmarg.
