Uttarakhand: 4 More Bodies Found, Total of 9 Bengaluru Trekkers Dead

UTTARKASHI: Nine trekkers from Bengaluru died in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi after their 22-member team, on a trekking expedition to Sahastra Tal, was struck by bad weather on Tuesday afternoon. Officials confirmed the deaths on Thursday after recovering four more bodies.

The deceased were identified as Asha Sudhakar (71), Anitha Rangappa (55), Venkatesh Prasad K (53), Vinayak Mungurwadi (52), Sujata Mungurwadi (52), Padmanabha K P (50), Chitra Praneeth (48), Sindhu Wakelam (44), and Padmini Hegde (34), all residents of Bengaluru.

Earlier, five bodies were recovered, and the bodies of Padmanabha, Prasad, Rangappa, and Hegde were found early Thursday morning. All other members of the team have been rescued.

The deceased were part of a 19-member group of trekkers from The Karnataka Mountaineering Association.

Srivatsa S, the association's secretary, stated, "This was the seventh expedition of the association this month. I had just come after finishing an expedition in Nepal when the incident took place. I am in Joshimath now. All the deceased are experienced trekkers." He added that the bodies were shifted to Joshimath on Thursday morning.

Nineteen trekkers from Karnataka, along with three local guides, were on a high-altitude trek at Sahastra Tal when a blizzard struck around 2 pm on Tuesday, according to an official from the Karnataka disaster management department.

Taking to X, The Indian Air Force wrote, “Racing against time, #IAF helicopters have successfully evacuated three survivors and the mortal remains of five trekkers, out of the 15 trekkers who were trapped in severe weather while trekking to Sahastra Tal, Uttarkashi. Due to the high altitude and undulating terrain, the rescue was conducted by two light weight Cheetah helicopters from the higher ground to the base camp and further to the nearest medical centre with medium lift Mi17 V5 helicopters.”

The Karnataka Mountaineering Association, established in 1966, has organized numerous expeditions both in India and abroad.

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