Uttarakhand: 10 mountaineers killed, 8 climbers rescued so far in Uttarkashi avalanche

Uttarkashi, October 4, 2022

Ten trainee mountaineers have been killed while eight others have been rescued so far after an avalanche hit Draupadi's Danda 2 mountain peak in the frontier district of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand.

The avalanche had trapped 28 trainee mountaineers of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM).

A police official said that eight climbers have been safely rescued so far, while several others were reported missing.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed two Cheetah helicopters for rescue and relief operations. Other helicopters in the fleet have been kept on standby for any further requirement.

The NIM had launched training for basic and advanced courses on September 22 at the Dokrani glacier.

A total of 122 people, including 97 trainees, 24 trainers and an officer of NIM, were involved in the basic training, while 53 people, including 44 trainees and nine trainers, were part of the advanced course.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about the incident and has directed the Indian Air Force to carry out rescue and relief operations.

Simultaneously, search and rescue operations are being carried out by the district administration, NDRF, SDRF, Army and ITBP personnel along with a team from NIM.

IANS