Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishnabyre Gowda leaves for Uttarakhand to oversee the rescue operations

In a statement, the minister said that most of the survivors have been accounted for and have reached Dehradun.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has left for Uttarakhand to oversee the rescue operations of close to 20 trekkers from Bengaluru who are stranded in the Garhwal mountain ranges during their trek across the Sahastra Tal- Mayali stretch.

In a statement, Gowda said that most of the survivors have been accounted for and have reached Dehradun.

“I have personally spoken to one of the survivors. So far, 11 of the 20 who were on the trek have been accounted for. I will soon reach Dehradun to coordinate the rescue operations,” Gowda said.

He added the team had started the trek on Tuesday and had reached the summit by the afternoons.

“However, on their way back to the camp, the weather changed and started to worsen by 2 pm with snow and winds, leaving them stranded,” he said.

The Karnataka government received the information on the incident late evening on Tuesday and has worked closely with the Uttarakhand government since then.

“The rescue operations began yesterday night using the helicopters available locally. The Air Force helicopter also reached the venue by Wednesday morning. As a result, many of those stranded have been rescued. All efforts are on to rescue the others,” Gowda said.

He added that the government has received information that a few of the trekkers have lost their lives and the authorities are working to identify and retrieve their bodies.