5 Indian Navy mountaineers go missing after avalanche hits Uttarakhand

Five mountaineers of the Indian Navy and one porter went missing early on Friday after getting caught in an avalanche when they were about to reach the peak of Mount Trishul in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, officials said.

A rescue team from Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering led by its principal Colonel Amit Bisht has left for the avalanche-hit area in search of the missing, a statement from NIM, quoting Col Bisht, said.

The team of rescuers has reached up to Joshimath but bad weather is impeding their progress, the statement said.

A combined team of Indian Army, Air Force and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) assisted by a helicopter are engaged in rescue operations, it said.

Mount Trishul which means trident, a weapon associated with lord Shiva, is a group of three Himalayan peaks located in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand.

The adventure wing of the Indian Navy had informed NIM authorities about the incident around 11 am and sought the help of the institute's search and rescue team. According to information available, a 20-member team of mountaineers of the Indian Navy had embarked on an expedition to the 7, 120 metre Mount Trishul 15 days ago and the avalanche hit the area around 5 am Friday.

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