Kolkata, 04 November (H.S.) : The bodies of a male and a female trekker were recovered on Tuesday from the treacherous Kedartal region in Uttarakhand, where eight people went missing following a massive avalanche. The bodies were found buried deep in the snow. The Bankura district administration was officially notified about the development on Tuesday night, and the identification process is scheduled to be conducted on Wednesday.

According to administrative sources, a 12-member mountaineering expedition was struck by an avalanche near Kedar Kharak on October 29 while descending from the Kedartal lake in Uttarkashi district. While four members managed to return safely, eight individuals, including five youths from West Bengal's Bankura, two female trekkers from Uttar Pradesh, and a local guide, went missing in the disaster.

A joint search and rescue operation was launched around 7:30 AM on Tuesday by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, and other specialized rescue agencies. Uttarkashi District Disaster Management Officer Shardul Gusain confirmed the recovery of two unidentified bodies near Kedar Kharak, adding that the intense search operations would resume on Wednesday morning.

The five missing trekkers from Bankura have been identified as Rintu Mandal, Tapas Bauri, Ratan Ghosh, Uday Ghosh, and Manoj Khawas, all aged between 23 and 40. While Rintu, Tapas, Ratan, and Uday hail from Anchuri Shalbani village in the Bankura-II block, Manoj is a resident of Keshra village in the same block. The youths come from modest working-class backgrounds: Rintu and Tapas work in a sponge iron factory, Ratan assists at his father's tea stall, Uday is employed at a factory in Barjora, and Manoj is engaged in the construction sector.

Family members stated that the five friends were experienced trekkers who had embarked on several expeditions in the past. They left Bankura for the trek on October 24. Sintu Mandal, Rintu's elder brother, recalled that his last telephone conversation with Rintu was on October 26, when he was informed that the group would be entirely out of cellular network coverage for the next five to six days. The news of the two recovered bodies has severely escalated the anxiety of the families, who are desperately hoping for the safe return of their loved ones.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed deep concern over the tragedy. Taking to X, he stated that the West Bengal government is in continuous coordination with the Uttarakhand government. The Additional Director General (Law and Order) and the Bankura Superintendent of Police have been specifically tasked with monitoring the situation and ensuring seamless communication between the authorities of both states.

On Tuesday, Bankura MLA Niladrisekhar Dana and Bankura-II Block Development Officer Sahid Ali visited Shalbani village to meet the distressed families and offer support. Bankura District Magistrate Anish Dasgupta assured that constant communication is being maintained with the Uttarkashi administration regarding real-time updates on the search operations.

Meanwhile, a seven-member team comprising relatives of the missing trekkers has departed from Bankura for Uttarkashi to coordinate with the local authorities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh