IAF helicopters rescue seven, including three trekkers, stranded in Rudraprayag

Seven people, including three trekkers, who were stranded along the Pandav Shera trek in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district for the last few days were safely rescued on Monday with the help of IAF helicopters, officials said.

The rescue operation began at 5:30 am and the seven stranded people were brought to the Gauchar helipad by 6:45 am, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajvar said.

The three trekkers -- Shrinivasan from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, Ajay Singh from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur and Ajay Negi from Uttarakhand's Pauri district -- did not sustain any injuries. The remaining four were porters and have returned to their native village Rasi in the Ukhimath area of Rudraprayag, he said.

The trekkers along with the porters had embarked on the trek to Pandav Shera on May 21 without taking administrative clearance. They got stranded on the way due to inclement weather and rains, Rajvar said.

When they ran out of food and water, the porters informed their fellow villagers about their plight. The villagers then informed the administration which launched efforts to track them on Sunday.