Published On : Sat, Jun 16th, 2018

Mah man freezes to death while trekking in HP

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Shimla: One of the trekkers who was part of a 23-member group that was stranded during a trek from Har Ki Doon in Uttarkashi district to Chitkul in Himachal Pradesh has died while the rest of the trekkers will be rescued and brought to the base camp at Kalpa.

Harshad Apte (34) from Maharashtra died on the way to Chitkul in Kinnaur district on Thursday after developing complications related to high altitude. The group, which included a Mexican couple, was stranded at Ranikanda, situated on the border of Uttarkashi and Chitkul at 3,800 metres above sea level, after heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

The group had embarked on the 90km-long Har Ki Doon-Borasu Pass-Chitkul trek on June 9.

Devendra Patwal, disaster management officer (Uttarkashi) said, “Apte died after falling ill. A team of the 50th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police is bringing other trekkers to safety.”

The trekkers also included one tourist from Faridabad in Haryana and eight others from Maharashtra. The remaining members of the group were support staff, including porters.

ITBP Inspector Rajendra Kumar told sources, “Three companies of ITBP’s 50th battalion led by Deputy Commander Daulat Singh have reached the trekkers. They would be brought to the base camp at Kalpa along with the body of the deceased. The rescue operations were delayed a little as it continued to rain on Friday. But the teams are likely to reach the base camp by night.”