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Rescuers have safely evacuated 293 pilgrims stranded since Monday on the trek route to Madmaheshwar temple following a bridge collapse in rain-hit Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district. The shrine, which is part of the Panch Kedar group of temples in Uttarakhand, is located at an altitude of 11,473 feet. The rescue operation concluded with the evacuation of 293 pilgrims, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said on Wednesday. State Disaster Response Force personnel were pressed into service and 240 pilgrims airlifted by a helicopter on Wednesday. Another 53 pilgrims were evacuated on Tuesday through the rope-river crossing method, the state disaster control room here said on Wednesday. Around 290 pilgrims were stranded on the route on Monday when a bridge at Bantoli in Gaundar village collapsed following a heavy downpour. Incessant rain has been lashing various parts of the hill state, causing landslides that demolished buildings and flooding rivers and
A trekker has gone missing after an avalanche near the Friendship Peak in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, officials said on Sunday. Sachin and Ashutosh, residents of Chopal in Shimla district, and Sahil from Manali had started their trek to the peak on November 17, they said. However, Sachin returned to the base camp due to high-altitude sickness while the remaining two continued their journey, the officials said. Ashutosh, who was on the edge of the mountain, was hit by the avalanche when he was just 20 metres short of the summit and he fell towards the DhundiAtal tunnel side on Saturday, Adventure Tour Operator Association vice president Joginder Thakur said. Sahil came back to Manali and reported the matter to police following which a nine-member search team was formed to look for the missing trekker. Thakur was part of the team that carried out search operations on Sunday, with sources saying it is yet to locate Ashutosh. The team has four police personnel, including the l
The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday restricted treks in high-altitude tracks above 15,000 feet from September 15 in the wake of the incidents in Kinnaur and Kullu districts. In a letter to deputy commissioners, state disaster management director Sudesh Mokhta stated, "As per the advice of the experts, the suitable timing for trekking events is advised from 1st May to 15 September for high-altitude tracks (above 15,000 feet)." Deputy commissioners (DCs) are the chairpersons of the district disaster management authority (DDMA) Mokhta urged the DCs to review the situation and put restrictions with effect from September 15 on trekking activities in treks above 15,000 feet, along with high peaks or passes that have a history of trekking-related accidents, in their respective jurisdictions. A trekker died, another was injured and three porters went missing at Khimlog Pass in Chitkul in Kinnaur district earlier this month. Four climbers from West Bengal scaling Mt Ali Ratni Tibba in