A total of nine out of a team of 22 members died after they had lost their way and got trapped due to bad weather on the route of Sahastra Tal in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi, reports said.
Reportedly, the search and rescue operations that started on Wednesday to trace missing trekkers continued for the second day on Thursday. Further, 13 trekkers have been rescued as the joint air-ground search and rescue operation continues, reports added. However, only five bodies have been recovered so far.
"Upon receiving the information, the administration acted upon it promptly and a rescue team of 10 members comprising officials from the SDRF, Forest Department, and Police officials immediately rushed for the rescue operation," said Arpan Yaduvanshi, Superintendent of Police, Uttarkashi.
As per information received, in the team of 22 trekkers, 18 belonged to Karnataka, one hailed from Maharashtra and three of them were local guides.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the death of the trekkers. In a post on platform 'X', CM Dhami informed that other 13 trekkers have been safely rescued.
"The news of the death of 9 trekkers in an accident caused by bad weather on Sahastra Tal track is very sad. The administration has rescued 13 trekkers safely by conducting a rescue operation and a rescue operation is being conducted with the help of SDRF, district administration and Air Force to save other people. I pray to God to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this immense loss and for the speedy and safe release of the trapped trekkers," the post on 'X' read.
