Uttarakhand Trekker Snow Evacuations
Helicopters Evacuate 40 Stranded Trekkers as Heavy Snowfall Halts Uttarakhand Expeditions
Anonymous
Heavy snowfall stranded trekkers, mountaineers and support staff across Uttarkashi’s high-altitude routes, including Auden’s Col and Kalindi Pass. Helicopters evacuated 40 people on Monday—29 from Auden’s Col and 11 from the Kalindi area—but worsening weather halted flights; those examined were reported stable. Officials said about 97 people remained to be evacuated in Uttarkashi, while reports gave differing totals for stranded groups elsewhere in Uttarakhand, including six foreign nationals. Rescue teams located stranded groups and prepared to resume evacuations when conditions allowed, with helicopters and an ambulance on standby. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to coordinate evacuations and provide medical care, food and other essentials.
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At Auden’s Col, snow had accumulated to around 5–7 feet, leaving trekkers unable either to descend or continue their expeditions, according to Uttarkashi DM Prashant Arya.
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Eight helicopters made 24 sorties on Monday before the weather deteriorated—17 to Auden’s Col and seven to Kalindi Pass. Twenty SDRF personnel were working in three teams, with an eight-member reserve team also deployed.
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The wider weather disruption also blocked more than 112 roads across Uttarakhand on Monday, and falling boulders on the Kedarnath route halted the yatra.
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Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said 40 people in Bageshwar were safe and did not need evacuation; another 20 trekkers were expected to walk back to base from designated points, while 40 said they wanted to continue their expeditions.
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