Search for Kedartal trekkers enters Day 5 as blizzards, avalanche block rescue efforts

The search for eight people, including seven trekkers, missing on the Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district entered its fifth day on Tuesday (November 3), with the SDRF planning to deploy additional personnel amid blizzards and difficult terrain.

Personnel from the Uttarakhand Police’s State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) are conducting the search, amid rising fears for the safety and well-being of those missing.

According to SDRF officials, an additional team of five to six personnel was expected to be dispatched from Dehradun to the Kedar Kharak (or Kedarkhadak) area on Tuesday to reinforce the team already engaged in the search.

Where the trekkers may be stuck

To give a brief introduction to the Kedartal trek for better understanding, it begins at Gangotri and climbs alongside the turbulent Kedar Ganga river through dense pine, deodar and birch forests. The first major halt is Bhoj Kharak (3,900 m), which is reached after a demanding 7-8 km ascent.

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From there, trekkers continue to Kedar Kharak (4,350 m), negotiating steep trails that emerge from birch forests into vast alpine meadows. The final and most challenging stretch leads across rugged moraine and scree fields to Kedartal (4,912 m), a pristine glacial lake set against the dramatic backdrop of Thalay Sagar, Bhrigupanth, and Meru peaks.

After reaching the lake, trekkers return to Kedar Kharak before descending back to Gangotri, completing one of Uttarakhand’s most demanding but scenic high-altitude treks. The trekkers went missing around Kedar Kharak, where an avalanche has blocked the route, preventing the rescue team from trekking to the area. Personnel are being airlifted there.

This is an AI-generated illustration to give an idea about the trek route and possible location of the missing trekkers.

Blizzards make search operation challenging

“The teams are searching for the missing trekkers but are facing extreme weather conditions, including blizzards, which are making the search and rescue operation very difficult. We are planning to send five to six more SDRF personnel to assist the team by Tuesday evening or Wednesday,” SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi told news agency PTI.

“This is an extremely difficult operation, as the search is being conducted at an altitude of around 4,000 metres in very hazardous conditions. The operation resumed at 7 am on Tuesday, but the team has not been able to trace any of the missing trekkers so far,” he said.

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The Uttarkashi district disaster management office said it received an update from the rescue team at 7.30 am that the operation had resumed as weather conditions improved. The SDRF said on Monday evening that a tent and other items had been found at an altitude of around 4,000 metres.

Four of group found safe

According to officials, a group of 13 people, comprising seven trekkers and six support staff, set out from Gangotri for the Kedartal trek on October 27. They were scheduled to return on October 29, but adverse weather, snowfall and glaciers blocking the route prevented their return.

On October 30, the trekking agency sent a team of porters and guides, who cleared a path for around six kilometres. The District Emergency Operations Centre said on Saturday that four people had been found safe, while eight remained stranded beyond Bhoj Kharak following an avalanche.

A 10-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team left Uttarkashi for Gangotri on October 31 to join the rescue operation. Teams comprising two Forest Department personnel, seven members of the trekking agency and six SDRF personnel were also deployed towards Kedartal.

An SDRF team from Gangotri had reached the Kedartal area for reconnaissance on November 1, but heavy snowfall and adverse weather hampered the operation, officials said.

Permits stopped for 4,000m-plus treks

The Gangotri National Park and the Uttarkashi Forest Division have stopped issuing permits for treks at altitudes of 4,000 metres or above until weather conditions improve.

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“We are currently not issuing permits for treks above 4,000 metres as weather conditions are not favourable. Permits will be issued once the weather improves. The restriction will remain in force until further orders,” Divisional Forest Officer Jeevan Mohan Dagade said.

The Lamkhaga Pass and Trikhanta treks are among the routes located above 4,000 metres.

“A significant amount of snow has accumulated on the Gaumukh-Tapovan trek following snowfall on October 29 and, for safety reasons, movement along this route has been prohibited. Furthermore, no new permits are being issued for destinations such as Kedartal, Kalindi Khal and Udankol,” Mayank Kumar, Deputy Director of Gangotri National Park, said.

(With agency inputs)