Nine Delhi trekkers still stranded in Himachal hills

Nine trekkers of an expedition of income tax officials from New Delhi, stranded in a remote hamlet in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra for the past three days, could not be rescued even on Saturday due to bad weather, a police official said.

They have been stuck at Bara Bhangal, located at an altitude over 2,800 metre, that has no road link. The administration is in contact with them and all of them are fine.

"We have been trying to airlift them but due to high-velocity winds at Bara Bhangal the helicopter couldn't land there," Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Gandhi told IANS.

He said another rescue team has been dispatched there on foot.

"One more rescue team was sent from Holi in Chamba district on Friday. Earlier, two teams were sent there from Palampur. As per our information, no team has been able to reach the village where the trekkers have been stranded due to bad weather," he added.

He said all the stranded trekkers have been provided medical aid and accommodation.

The stranded trekkers are Sunil Kumar Gaur, Sanjeev Mann, Gaurav Singh, Gaurav Vashishtha, Rajeev K.R., Anurag K.R. Singh, Avesh Pal, Rajesh K.R. and Vipin Bisht.

They are associated with the Income Tax Trekking and Mountaineering Club of Delhi. Three of them got injuries while crossing the Thamsar Pass, located at an attitude of 4,700 metre, but they managed to reach Bara Bhangal.

They started trek from Manali to Bara Bhangal on May 26.

The trek to Bara Bhangal, part of the Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary which remains cut off from the rest of the world for over six months due to heavy snow, is 65 km from the last village connected by road in Kangra district.

Bara Bhangal has a population of around 400 people and during winter most of them migrate to Bir village in Baijnath tehsil, near Palampur town, some 250 km from Shimla.

--IANS

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