DEHRADUN: Two more bodies were recovered from the avalanche-hit Kedartal trek route in Uttarkashi on Thursday, taking the death toll to six, with two trekkers still missing seven days after the group was trapped, officials said.
The two men were found buried under snow at different locations, according to an action taken report from the District Emergency Operations Centre, Uttarkashi. The bodies were brought to the base camp, where the search team of State Disaster Response Force personnel and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering officials is stationed, and will be airlifted to the Matli helipad on Friday, November 6.
Thursday's search began at 9 am and ended around 3.30 pm. A joint SDRF-NIM team of 10 is working at Kedarkhadak, where 10 to 12 feet of snow has accumulated since the avalanche, slowing the operation. Another search is planned for Friday.
Eight of the 13-member group were stranded beyond Bhojkhadak; four others were rescued safely earlier. The two bodies recovered on Wednesday were identified by family members as Rintu Mandal (40) and Uday Ghosh (30), both residents of Salbani in West Bengal's Bankura district.
The group of seven trekkers and six support staff set out from Gangotri on October 27 and were scheduled to return on October 29, but snowfall and glacier-related obstacles blocked the route. On October 30 the trekking agency sent a team of porters and guides, who cleared a path for about six km.
Search teams have been working through difficult terrain and challenging weather, and officials said the airlift and Friday's search will depend on conditions at the site.
This is a developing story.
(With inputs from PTI and media reports)