Overview
- A commercial trekking party that left Gangotri on October 27 was hit by heavy snowfall and avalanches and lost contact, and four support staff who returned alerted authorities when eight members remained unaccounted for.
- Rescuers recovered two bodies during Tuesday searches and reported a third body by Wednesday, while five people from the original eight remain untraced and their identities are being confirmed.
- Joint teams from the State Disaster Response Force, the National Disaster Response Force and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering are conducting ground searches and helicopter operations but crews face deep snow, low visibility and avalanche debris up to 10–12 feet.
- Officials have stopped issuing permits for treks above 4,000 metres, built a temporary helipad at Matli to support logistics, and are coordinating with families, West Bengal authorities and local agencies for transport of the recovered bodies and ongoing search needs.
- Kedartal is a technical glacial route at about 4,000–4,700 metres where sudden storms and unstable moraine fields can trap parties quickly, which helps explain why teams are relying on hand digging, satellite phones and limited air drops during the recovery effort.