Overview
- A 12‑member expedition that left Gangotri on October 27 was descending from Kedartal when a heavy snowstorm and avalanche struck on October 29 and left eight people unaccounted for.
- Rescue teams recovered two bodies on Tuesday and two more on Wednesday, raising the confirmed death toll to four, and family members identified two of the deceased as sisters from Lucknow.
- Searches continue for the remaining four missing trekkers but operations are repeatedly halted by deep snow reported at 10–12 feet, near‑zero visibility and technical high‑altitude terrain that requires heli‑drops and manual digging.
- State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering teams are leading the effort with helicopter support, an alternate helipad and additional personnel dispatched to the site.
- Families have been notified and state governments are coordinating with Uttarakhand officials while authorities carry out postmortems, continue searches when weather allows and review high‑altitude permit and safety arrangements.