Ten mountaineers were killed in an avalanche on Mount Draupadi Ka Danda – II peak in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on Tuesday, authorities said.
A team of 34 climbers-in-training and seven instructors from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) were caught in an avalanche on their way back, NIM Senior Colonel Amit Bisht said.
Ten bodies were sighted, of which four have been recovered, he added. The avalanche occurred at 8:45 am, he said. Uttarkashi disaster management officer Devendra Patwal said eight of those trapped were rescued by members of his team.
The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) had launched training for basic and advanced courses on September 22 on the Dokrani Glacier. A total of 122 people, including 97 trainees, 24 trainers and one NIM officer, participated in the basic training, while 53 people, including 44 trainees and nine trainers, took part in the advanced course.
The institute said that according to the training schedule, the climbers moved to the mountain on September 23 after the review of rock climbing training at the NIM and the Tekhla rock climbing training area. “The course arrived at Base Camp on September 25.
In accordance with the training schedule on October 4, the course moved for High Altitude Navigation and Height Gain to Mount Draupadi ka Danda-II (5670 m) at 4:00 AM. camp-1 in which 34 practitioners and 7 mountaineering instructors were trapped under an avalanche at 08:45 a.m.,” the statement said.
“Rescue work is in progress and now four bodies have been recovered. SDRF, NDRF and Indian Air Force are assisting in the rescue,” he added. Earlier today, eight of the 29 climbers in training, who were caught in the Uttarkhand avalanche on Tuesday, were rescued and taken to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Hospital for treatment, the ITBP said.
“Eight mountaineers were immediately rescued by the team. However, there has been no clarity on the deaths,” Vivek Pandey, ITBP PRO, told ANI, adding that the group was on a mission to reach the mountain peak. Draupadi’s Danda-2, located at 18,000 feet when an avalanche around 8 am on Tuesday. The ITBP, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force together with the local police started the rescue operation as soon as they received the information about the incident.
More details awaited.
ALSO READ
- Babcock Ranch In Florida Withstand Wrath Of Category 5 Hurricane Ian But How?
- Temperature Rise Due To Climate Change Increased Risk Of Heart Failure: Study
- Trees Are Getting Bigger In Response To Climate Change
You can connect with Ground Report on Facebook, Twitter, Koo App, Instagram, and Whatsapp and Subscribe to our YouTube channel. For suggestions and writeups mail us at GReport2018@gmail.com
