Uttarakhand Avalanche: Guwahati based mountaineer Deepshikha Hazarika's body recovered

Guwahati, Oct 8: The body of Guwahati based mountaineer Deepshikha Hazarika among some of the climbers of the country was recovered on Saturday from Mount Draupadi Ka Danda-II in Uttarakhand.

Several mountaineers were missing after an avalanche occurred at a height of 17,000 feet on Tuesday when a team of 41-member of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) was returning after summiting Draupadi Ka Danda II peak in Uttarakhand. Since then rescue operations were being conducted to trace the climbers who were stranded in the avalanche.

Deepshikha, was among those who has been reported to be missing after the mountaineers' team she was a part of was hit by the avalanche in Uttarakhand.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Indian Air Force (IAF) were deployed to carry out extensive search and rescue operations on the high mountain peak.

As per the rescue bulletin issued by the NIM, ten bodies were recovered today taking the death toll to 26.

Three more bodies were recovered from the avalanche site late on Thursday evening and seven were found on Friday, taking the total number of bodies retrieved so far to 26, the NIM said.

While 24 of these bodies are of trainee mountaineers, two are of their instructors, it said.

According to the NIM, three trainees are still missing and search and rescue operations are still on at the disaster site.

Deepshikha who is a resident of Rajgarh, Guwahati was undergoing training at NIMS Uttarkashi, she was selected for an advanced training course at NIMs.

As per sources, Deepshikha's mortal remains will be brought to Delhi, later it will brought to Guwahati with the help of the Assam Government.