Noida engineer missing near Pindari Glacier: Camera found on riverbank after he told porter to go ahead
A 36-year-old man from Noida has gone missing while on a trek from Pindari Glacier in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, police said.
Rescue personnel, including from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), have been conducting search and rescue operations since Friday, when Abhishek Chauhan, an engineer, went missing.
His camera was found on the banks of the Pindar River, which flows in the area, rescue officials said.
He was accompanied by a porter and was returning to Khati, the last village on the Pindari Glacier trek. The trek takes eight days and the glacier is at an altitude of 3,800 metres above sea level. According to Circle Officer Ajay Sah, Chauhan had told the porter to go ahead, but failed to reach the scheduled meeting point.
“He said he had to capture a few pictures and would meet him (the porter) at the Maggi point a few kilometres ahead. When the porter could not find Chauhan, he searched the area. As hours passed, the porter informed the police on Friday evening,” said Sah.
The rescue effort has been conducted in a 9-km radius over the last two days. A drone has been deployed to scan the area, where multiple spots remain inaccessible.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said that a team of 15 personnel was dispatched to the area. The operation had to be called off on Saturday due to heavy rainfall and inclement weather.
“A team was deployed along the Pindar River, and they found his camera on the banks of the river. We have been searching for him along the banks. The weather remains adverse, rendering it difficult to sustain the rescue operation. One team each from the forest (department) and police have also been searching the area,” Yaduvanshi said.
