Race against time to trace missing mountaineers in Uttarakhand

Four SDRF mountaineers arrived at the base camp of Chaukhamba III peak on Saturday to trace the foreign mountaineers stranded at an elevation of more than 6,000 metres as IAF helicopters searching for them returned empty-handed for the second consecutive day.

Chamoli District Disaster Management officer NK Joshi said IAF helicopters made several sorties to trace the women mountaineers, one from the USA and the other from the UK, but they could not be spotted.

A four-member team of SDRF personnel trained in mountaineering has landed at the base camp located at a height of around 5,000 metres to assist in the search operations, he said, adding the strategy is to search for them on foot.