Uttarkashi: A 65-year-old tourist from Maharashtra went missing after falling into a deep gorge along the Gangotri-Gaumukh trekking route in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
According to officials, search and rescue operations are underway for the second consecutive day while heavy rainfall and adverse weather conditions continue to persist.
According to the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC), a group of five tourists from Maharashtra had set out from Gangotri towards Gaumukh on September 25. At around 2:30 p.m., Ram Kumar Hanuman Gupta, 65, reportedly slipped near Kachhidang, beyond Chirbasa, and fell into a gorge estimated to be around 130 metres deep. He has remained untraced since the incident.
After the incident, teams from the forest department, police, SDRF and local porters were deployed for the search operation. On Saturday, an 18-member team comprising six SDRF personnel from Gangotri, four Nepali porters, four forest department personnel from Bhojwasa, two police personnel and two porters took part in the operation.
The teams searched extensively around Kachhidang, Chirbasa, Devgarh Khale and along the riverbank below Ram Mandir. However, persistent rain and difficult weather conditions hampered the rescue operation, and no trace of the missing tourist was found till late evening.
Officials said the search would be intensified once weather conditions improve.
The other members of the trekking group have been identified as Deepak Chhotelal, Shivsevak Motilal, Vishal Ram Kumar and Nikhil Suresh. The missing tourist’s family members are present in Gangotri, while the other trekkers are staying at a hotel in Gangotri.
Meanwhile, in view of the red alert issued by the weather department, the district administration has suspended the pilgrimage to Gangotri and Yamunotri dhams at the Hina and Dobata holding points as a precautionary measure.
The emergency operations centre and smart control room have been placed on alert, while rainfall and landslide-related developments are being continuously monitored, said officials. Authorities have also directed the National Highway, BRO, PWD and PMGSY officials to keep machinery and manpower ready for immediate clearance of blocked roads.
(IANS)
