13 survivors of the tragic Uttarakhand trek returned to Bengaluru on the evening of Thursday, June 6, following the conclusion of search and rescue operations earlier in the day. The group was part of a 22-member team trekking to Sahastra Tal when they were caught in severe weather conditions, leading to the death of nine trekkers.
Due to logistical challenges, a chartered flight could not be arranged to transport the bodies of the deceased trekkers. Instead, the bodies are being transported by road from Dehradun to Delhi airport. Beginning June 7 morning, five flights carrying two bodies each will arrive at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru, starting at 5:30 am. The bodies are now expected to reach the city by the evening of June 7.
The trek turned disastrous on June 3 when the group lost their way due to intense snowfall, which quickly escalated into a blizzard. Despite efforts by the Karnataka government to expedite the return of the bodies, logistical issues caused delays.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who oversaw the rescue operations and accompanied the survivors on the flight back from Uttarakhand, said that while the survivors are physically stable, they are still recovering from the shock of the incident. "Mentally, they are upset and in a state of shock. They have seen their close friends die before their very eyes and many were unsure if they would survive. This has left them in a state of shock," he told reporters.
On June 3, two members of the group decided to trek alone and managed to avoid the blizzard that caught the rest of the group. The remaining 20 trekkers and their guides journeyed from the Lambtal campsite to Sahastra Tal. The tragedy struck during their return to the camp when intense snowfall began at 2 pm, escalating into a blizzard by 4 pm. By 6 pm, two trekkers had died, and the worsening visibility made movement impossible. Several more trekkers succumbed during the night.
The following morning, around 11 am, some trekkers managed to start moving back towards the camp. The guides fetched supplies for the stranded trekkers and attempted to reach a location with mobile connectivity. By the evening, they established contact and informed the Karnataka Mountaineering Association and Indian Mountaineering Federation about the situation. The Karnataka and Uttarakhand governments initiated a joint rescue operation on the night of June 4, involving the Army, Air Force, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and various government agencies from June 5.