Dehradun: A search operation for eight people, including seven trekkers, missing on the Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand resumed on Tuesday morning after being suspended a day earlier because of bad weather, according to the Uttarkashi district disaster management office. The operation restarted after weather conditions improved, with rescue personnel searching difficult terrain in challenging conditions.
The disaster management office received an update from the rescue team confirming that the operation had resumed. Personnel from the Uttarakhand Police State Disaster Response Force and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering are conducting the search. The SDRF previously reported that a tent and other items had been discovered at an altitude of about 4,000 metres.
In response to the conditions, the Uttarkashi Forest Division has stopped issuing permits for treks at altitudes of 4,000 metres or above until the weather improves. Divisional Forest Officer Jeevan Mohan Dagade stated that permits will not be issued for treks above this elevation until weather conditions become favourable, noting that the restriction will remain in force until further orders. Routes such as the Lamkhaga Pass and Trikhanta treks are situated above the 4,000-metre mark.
The incident began when a group of 13 people, comprising seven trekkers and six support staff, left Gangotri for the Kedartal trek on October 27. They were scheduled to return on October 29, but bad weather, snowfall, and glaciers blocking the route prevented their return. On October 30, the trekking agency dispatched a team of porters and guides who managed to clear a path for about six kilometres.
The District Emergency Operations Centre reported that four people were subsequently found safe, while eight remained stranded beyond Bhojkhadak following an avalanche. A 10-member National Disaster Response Force team left Uttarkashi for Gangotri on October 31 to join the ongoing search. Additional teams consisting of forest department personnel, trekking agency members, and SDRF personnel were also deployed toward Kedartal.
Although an SDRF team reached the Kedartal area to assess the situation, heavy snowfall and adverse weather severely hampered the initial efforts. With conditions now improving, search teams have pressed forward to locate the missing individuals, while high-altitude trekking permits across the region remain on hold.