Mount Trishul Avalanche: 5 naval climbers gone missing during a mountaineering expedition to Mount Trishul in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district. Body of 3 Naval officers and 1 Soldier were retrieved on Saturday after two days of search operations.
The four Indian Navy personnel were identified as Lt Cdr Rajnikant Yadav, Lt Cdr Yogesh Tiwari, Lt Cdr Anant Kukreti and Hari Om MCPO II. They were part of the 20-member team that got caught in an avalanche while trying to reach the peak of Mount Trishul on Friday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: “Deeply anguished by the tragic death of four Navy personnel who were part of the Indian Navy mountaineering expedition to Mt. Trishul. The nation has not only lost precious young lives but also courageous soldiers in this tragedy.”
Mr Singh said, “My heart goes out to the bereaved families of Lt Cdr Rajnikant Yadav, Lt Cdr Yogesh Tiwari, Lt Cdr Anant Kukreti and Hari Om MCPO II. My thoughts are with their families in this hour of tragedy. Praying for early locating of the remaining team members.”
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The 20-member expedition was flagged off from Mumbai on September 3. Ten climbers had started the final leg to the summit on Friday morning. However, they were hit by an avalanche on their way to the Mt Trishul peak.
While 5 of the 10 climbers were safe, five Indian Navy mountaineers and one Sherpa had gone missing.