Uttarakhand avalanche tragedy: Death toll reaches 19

Dehradun, October 7: A total of 19 bodies have so far been recovered in rescue operations at the Draupadi ka Danda mountain peak, in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, where an avalanche hit a team of mountaineers on October 4 morning, according to officials.

"A total of 19 bodies have been recovered from the crevice. Efforts are being made to bring the bodies to Matli helipad by Advanced Light Helicopter today," Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar stated.

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Out of the 19 bodies, four bodies were brought to the summit camp by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team deployed for the rescue operation, while 15 bodies were recovered at the place of the incident.

"From the summit camp, according to SDRF constable, Sunil four bodies have been brought to the summit camp by the team," said DGP Ashok Kumar.

Personnel from various teams of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), the Air Force, the Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the High Altitude War School in Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir have been deployed in the rescue operations, the official said.

Mountaineers from the NIM participating in a training course were trapped in a glacier crevice on Tuesday morning after an avalanche hit the peak. The team was returning after summiting.

NIM's advanced training course team included trainees and instructors. On Thursday 12 more bodies were recovered.

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Of the bodies recovered 14 were of trainees and two were instructors, Uttarakhand Police said.

Earlier, Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said condoled the deaths of mountaineers.

-PTC News with ANI inputs