ITBP retrieve two bodies of trekkers from 18,000 ft in Himachal

In a daring operation at an altitude of 18,000 feet, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troopers on Thursday retrieved two bodies of West Bengal trekkers, who died in Himachal Pradesh's Pin Valley this week, and brought them on stretchers to the base camp, trudging 32 km.
The bodies were handed over to the civil administration in Kaza, some 320 km from here, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mohan Dutt told the media.

Four porters were also evacuated by them. Dogra Scouts personnel were also part of the rescue operation.

A team of six trekkers from Arete Mountaineering Club in Kolkata, along with a guide and 11 porters were stranded at Khemenger Glacier in Lahaul-Spiti district. A day earlier, the ITBP rescued 11 members of the team.

The deceased were identified as Bhaskardeb Mukhopadhya and Sandeep Kumar Thakurta, both residents of Kolkata.

The trans-Himalayan Buddhist-dominated Spiti has a rich treasure of monasteries. It attracts globe-trotters not only for nature-based activities but also for exploring ancient monasteries like Tabo, which is over 1,000 years old.

The entire area, populated mainly by tribals, remains cut off from the rest of the country for more than six months in a year due to snow - IANS