Hemkund Sahib pilgrim’s body recovered: SDRF

DEHRADUN: The body of a woman pilgrim, who was part of the group that went missing on Sunday after a snow avalanche hit Hemkund Sahib yatra route, was on Monday recovered from Atalkoti area, 1km from Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, officials familiar with matter said.

Earlier, a team of the state disaster relief force (SDRF) had rescued five trapped pilgrims on Sunday evening but the woman remained missing. The SDRF resumed its search operation on Monday morning and found the woman’s body under the snow. The body was later handed over to the police.

Confirming the development, SDRF media in-charge Lalita Negi said that the identity of the woman is being ascertained. According to a statement by SDRF, the incident occurred near Atalkoti when a group of pilgrims were returning after visiting the Sikh shrine.” Following the incident, five pilgrims were rescued but the remaining one woman pilgrim couldn’t be found due to heavy snow on the ground,” the statement said.

The portals of Hemkund Sahib had opened for devotees on May 20. In view of the excessive snow on the route, the

Chamoli administration in consultation with Yatra management Trust had earlier decided to prohibit the pilgrims who are sick, who are above age 60 and children from embarking on the Hemkund Sahib Yatra during the initial days until the snow melts and it is safe for pilgrims.

Over 25,800 pilgrims have visited Hemkund Sahib this year so far. Last year 2.47 lakh pilgrims visited Hemkund shrine, the highest in the recorded history of the yatra, according to the trustees of the Gurudwara Sri Hemkund Sahib management trust. Over 10,000 pilgrims visited the shrine in 2021, compared to around 8,500 in 2020. In 2019, 2.40 lakh pilgrims had visited the shrine.

For the yatra, the pilgrims start trekking from Pulna, 3 km away from Govind Ghat to Hemkund Sahib. After completing a 6-km steep climb, they stay overnight at Ghangria from where they again make their way to Hemkund Sahib on foot.

The shrine situated at a height of over 15,000 feet above sea level, has emerged as a popular centre of Sikh pilgrimage which is visited by lakhs of devotees from all over the world every summer. Hemkund is inaccessible because of snow from October to April.