Forty-eight trekkers and expedition members stranded at the high-altitude Kalindi Pass Base and Auden’s Col Base in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district have been safely evacuated, officials said on Tuesday.
As part of the ongoing rescue operation, eight trekkers and porters stranded along the Kalindi trek were airlifted to Harsil on Tuesday morning. With their evacuation, the rescue operation for those stranded on the route was completed, officials said.
On Monday, 11 trekkers and porters were also rescued from the Kalindi Pass area and airlifted to Harsil. With the latest evacuation, a total of 19 trekkers and porters stranded along the Kalindi route have been brought to safety.
Officials said all those rescued underwent medical examinations and were found to be in good health.
In a separate operation on Monday, all 29 trekkers stranded in the Auden’s Col area were also evacuated by helicopter.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Uttarkashi, said the rescue operation at the Harsil helipad was carried out in a coordinated manner.
“At the Harsil helipad, in the presence of Additional District Magistrate Mukta Mishra, all personnel involved in the rescue operation, including the helicopter pilot, coordinated and planned thoroughly, and the rescue operation was launched in an organised and safe manner. All teams are working in coordination and according to the established plan,” the DDMA said.
The rescue operations were carried out amid challenging weather conditions in Uttarakhand. Continuous rainfall since Friday has disrupted road connectivity at several places and triggered landslides, making movement and rescue operations difficult.
The adverse weather has also affected travel and pilgrimage activities in several parts of the state.
Earlier on Monday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Disaster Control Room and reviewed the ongoing rescue operations. He took stock of the situation and the measures being taken by the administration and rescue teams to evacuate people stranded in different areas.
Meanwhile, the Char Dham Yatra resumed on Monday after weather conditions improved.
(IANS Inputs)
