The 32-member team consisting of 18 members from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the 14 personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has started the expedition on foot to retrieve the bodies of eight mountaineers. On the other hand, the 14-member team of Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) is expected to reach at the base camp near Pindari glacier on Thursday night.
Pithoragarh District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande said, “The team has started its expedition on Wednesday. It will be reaching Munsyari and from there to Lilam by road. From Lilam to Bugdyar, where they are slated to reach on Thursday, it is about 10 kilo-meters distance, which they will cover on foot. From Bugdyar to Martoli again they will be covering the distance on foot.”
When asked about the five members of Polish group who are rumoured to have climbed Nanda Devi East peak, despite clear advisory issued by Pithoragarh district administration he said that some of them are at the base camp, however there is no clear communication with them.
Meanwhile, the 14-member team of IMF volunteers lead by Dhruv Joshi is expected to reach Pindari glacier by Thursday night.
Wing commander Amit Chaudhary, with whom the team is in direct communication said, “The team started its expedition from Khati to the road ahead on Wednesday. They are expected to reach near Pindari base camp by Thursday night. They will assess the situation and acclimatise themselves with the conditions near the
mishap site.”
According to the sources, ITBP Director General SS Deshwal and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) state headquarters, Bareilly, after their reconnaissance of the mishap site stayed at the Milam glacier camp site of ITBP. They will be closely assessing the retrieving mission. The Pithoragarh radio communications department has also set a temporary communication centre.
It is pertinent to mention here that on May 31, IMF informed district administration Pithoragarh about the eight stranded mountaineers who failed to reach the base camp. On June 5, photographs clicked by an IAF chopper on reconnaissance had revealed five bodies in an avalanche hit area. The other three climbers are also presumed dead.