In brief
An avalanche on 29 October in Uttarakhand’s Kedartal valley left eight people missing, including seven trekkers from West Bengal and a local guide. A 10‑member Mountain Rescue Team was air‑lifted to the valley but the operation was halted by rough weather, with a restart scheduled for the following day. Three porters and a cook had already been rescued three days earlier.
A six‑day search is underway in Uttarakhand’s Kedartal valley after an avalanche on 29 October left eight people missing, including seven trekkers and a local guide, a local official confirmed on 3 November.
The group departed on 27 October for a three‑day trek in the Kedartal area. Heavy snowfall triggered an avalanche two days later, killing or trapping the group, according to media reports cited by Xinhua.
According to Xinhua, a 10‑member Mountain Rescue Team, composed of six State Disaster Response Force personnel and four from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, was air‑lifted to the valley on Monday. The team began a search, but by evening rough weather forced the operation to be called off.
Three porters and one cook had been rescued three days earlier, the same source said. The rescuers had re‑established contact with the trekking agency when the missing group last reported for help.
India Today identified the missing trekkers as Tapas Bauri, Ratan Ghosh, Manoj Khovas, Rintu Mandal and Uday Ghosh—all from West Bengal—as well as Deepika Verma and Vartika, name incomplete in the article. The local guide’s name was not disclosed in the available reports.
The rescue operation was scheduled to resume on Tuesday, Xinhua reported, with the terrain’s harsh conditions continuing to hamper efforts.
The Uttarakhand authorities have urged travelers to avoid trekking at higher elevations during late October and early November until conditions improve, amid the region’s persistent heavy snowfall.
