Mysuru doctor among 19 airlifted from snowbound Kalindi Khal in Uttarakhand

A doctor from Mysuru was among 19 trekkers and support staff airlifted to safety after being stranded for nearly three days in the snow-hit Kalindi Khal region of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand.

Shivanand, an associate professor at the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Mysuru, was part of a group that included four other doctors from Bengaluru. The team had set out from Gangotri for Badrinath on September 18.

Their onward journey was halted when heavy snowfall began in the Kalindi Khal area on the morning of September 25. The group had expected to reach Badrinath by September 28.

Speaking from Dehradun, Shivanand said the snowfall continued for 60 to 70 hours, forcing the trekkers to stop. The group, which also included porters, remained stranded at an altitude of around 18,500 feet above sea level.

With supplies running low, the stranded team survived on limited food and melted snow for drinking water. Shivanand said they were also running short of LPG, which they had been using to melt the snow.

The rescue was carried out in a joint operation involving the Indian Army, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Uttarakhand Police and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force. Authorities launched the effort once the weather briefly eased and flew multiple sorties to evacuate those stranded, airlifting them to Harsil in Uttarkashi district.

Shivanand clarified that no mules were available on their route and none were used to carry luggage during the trek.

Besides the groups on the Kalindi Khal route, several trekkers were also stranded on the Auden's Col route in the region. Most of them have since been rescued, Shivanand said, adding that he was on his way to Dehradun.