Search Resumes for Eight Missing Trekkers in Uttarakhand

At 7:30 am Tuesday, rescue teams resumed the search for eight people missing on the Kedartal trek. Bad weather had forced them to stop a day earlier. The Uttarkashi disaster office said conditions had improved enough to restart the operation. A tent and other belongings were found near 4,000 metres, but rescuers had not yet found the missing group. ^1,2

Teams from the Uttarakhand Police’s State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) found the tent while searching the difficult, snow-covered route. The 13-person party, including seven trekkers and six support staff, left Gangotri on October 27 and expected to return two days later. Snowfall, blocked glaciers and an avalanche prevented their return. Four support workers were found safe, while seven trekkers and a local guide remained missing beyond Bhojkhadak. ^1,2

The eight missing people include five people from West Bengal, two women from Uttar Pradesh and guide Siddharth Rana, 25, from Uttarkashi. The delay is not simply a matter of covering distance: officials say difficult terrain and dangerous weather have repeatedly blocked access. Earlier searches were stopped when snowfall made conditions unsafe, and aerial surveys had not spotted the missing people. The forest division has stopped issuing permits for treks at 4,000 metres or higher until the weather improves. ^3,5

The permit pause will remain in place until further orders, while rescue teams continue searching as conditions allow. The SDRF and NIM are leading the renewed effort after finding belongings but no sign of the eight people. Their families have been informed, and the next step is to keep searching the area around Kedartal without putting rescue workers in danger. ^1,13