Uttarkashi. Bodies of five more people killed in an avalanche near Draupadi’s Danda peak in Uttarakhand were brought to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp in Matli on Monday. Simultaneously, efforts to locate the two missing climbers are also being hampered by incessant snowfall.
Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela said that with the recovery of five more bodies on Monday, the number of bodies recovered so far from the spot has gone up to 26. He said one body was still in the summit camp while the search for the two missing climbers was on.
It is noteworthy that on October 4, 29 climbers of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) were hit by an avalanche on Draupadi’s Danda-II peak at an altitude of 17,000 feet while returning after climbing. On the same day the State Disaster Relief Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Army and Indian Air Force started a search and rescue operation which is still going on. The district magistrate said continuous snowfall in the avalanche-hit area was hampering the search operation, but efforts were on to trace the two missing climbers despite inclement weather. (Language)
