Uttarkashi Avalanche Update: Death Toll Rises To 19, Ace Climber Savita Kanswal Among Those Killed

An avalanche hit a 41-member team of mountaineering trainees & instructors from the NIM on Tuesday. 12 bodies were recovered earlier however 10 members are still missing.

Savita Kanswal, the Indian woman who climbed the Everest also died in the avalanche tragedy. On May 12, 2022, Kanswal waved the national flag atop Mt. Everest after 16 days of her climb. She was the instructor in the expedition and was with other trainees and instructors from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering when this mishap happened. Kanswal went to Draupadi Ka Danda-II with a group of student climbers.

Officials informed that two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters took off from Harsil in Uttarakhand in order to help in the search operations.

In addition, top agencies like IAF, ITBP, SDRF, and NDRF are continuously working to rescue the remaining mountaineers.

The avalanche took place at a towering height of 17,000 feet when the NIM team was returning after summiting the Draupadi ka Danda – 2 peak which is located in the Gangotri range of Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand, whose elevation is estimated to be around 5,771 meters.

According to an official statement by the NIM, people hit by the avalanche were part of the organization’s Advance Mountaineering Course which had started on September 14.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the State Disaster Management Authority office at the Secretariat for updates and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.