Two more bodies recovered from trekking route in Uttarakhand

On November 5, 2026, two additional bodies were discovered on the avalanche-stricken Kedartal trekking route in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, raising the death toll to six. Rescue efforts persisted in the search for the remaining two missing trekkers, leaving families of the deceased with a growing sense of despair.

The victims identified were Rintu Mondol, 40, and Uday Ghosh, 30, both from Bankura, West Bengal. The total count of bodies recovered so far amounts to six. Initially, 13 individuals embarked on an expedition, but heavy snowfall and multiple avalanches led to the route being cut off. Among those who went missing were seven trekkers from West Bengal - Tapas Bauri, Ratan Ghosh, Mr. Mondal, Mr. Ghosh, Manoj Khawas, Vartika and Deepika Verma, sisters from Lucknow, and their local guide, Siddharth Rana.

They had departed from Gangotri on October 27 for a three-day trek, with a return date set for October 29.

Four support staff managed to be rescued on October 31 near Kachchi Dhang. On November 2, a 10-member mountain rescue team was airlifted to the area; however, fresh snowfall temporarily halted the operations. The search for the eight missing trekkers continues in Uttarakhand's Kedartal region. For families anxiously awaiting news in Uttarkashi and West Bengal, the recovery of six bodies has delivered heart-wrenching news.

Vishwajeet, nephew of Mr. Bauri, who is among the missing trekkers, expressed his family's growing acceptance of the possibility that their relative might not return. "I don’t think I will get to see my uncle alive," he lamented, adding that Mr. Bauri, who had worked at an iron goods manufacturing factory, had saved money for the trekking expedition.