DEHRADUN: Out of the 29 trainees trapped in Draupadi’s Danda-2 mountain peak in Uttarakhand, 8 have been rescued safely, officials said. The rescue operations are still underway, they added.

Around 29 trainees from NIM were trapped in an avalanche that hit Draupadi’s Danda-2 mountain peak at 9 am today morning. A rapid, relief and rescue operation team has been deployed by the district administration, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at the request of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami. Besides this, an SDRF team from Sahastradhara helipad is also engaged in rescue operations.

“Rapid relief and rescue operations are being carried out by the district administration, NDRF, SDRF, Army and ITBP personnel along with the team of NIM to rescue the trainees trapped in the avalanche in Draupadi’s Danda-2 mountain peak at the earliest,” Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami tweeted. He assured of swift action in the matter.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also took to Twitter and expressed his anguish to the loss of lives and consoled the bereaved families who lost their family members.

“Deeply anguished by the loss of precious lives due to landslide which has struck the mountaineering expedition carried out by the Nehru Mountaineering Institute in Uttarkashi. My condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones,” Rajnath Singh said in a tweet.