11 trekkers trapped in Uttarakhand hills rescued

Dehradun, Dec 26 (IANS) Eleven tourists trapped in Munsyari in Uttarakhand due to inclement weather and snowfall while on a trekking trip were rescued safely on Wednesday after hours of tense moments, an official said.

The group of tourists and porters from Delhi, West Bengal, and Dehradun and Haldwani (both in Uttarakhand) were caught in an inclement weather while getting down from Bagheshar late on Tuesday. An official told IANS that they lost their way some five kilometres from Khaliatop at a spot called Bhainsiyataal after which revenue officials, police and ITBP personnel were rushed for a rescue operation.

A communication with the lost travellers was established only in the morning. A health check-up was done on the rescued trekkers after which they were sent back to their homes, the official informed. The rescued persons include Umesh Rawat from Haldwani; Rajendra Rautela, Dehradun; Pankaj Jehangir, Dwarka in Delhi; Abhijeet, Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi; Udaybhan Chauhan, Ashok Nagar, New Delhi; Gaurav, Kanpur Rural; Chaivan from West Bengal; and porters Manoj Kumar, Praveen Arya, Trilok Singh and Netra Singh.The trekkers told officials that they lost way as the roads were snowed heavily in the region.–IANSmd/nir