By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Racing against the time, a 10-member high altitude specialised rescue team was airlifted to the Bhojkharak-Kedartal region in Uttarkashi district on Monday to trace seven trekkers from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and a local guide who went missing at Kedartal area in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand following heavy snowfall and an avalanche.
According to an update issued by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), a six-member SDRF High Altitude Rescue Team and four members from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) was dropped by a helicopter in the area on Monday morning. A ground search operation was subsequently launched.
The 12-member trekking party, comprising seven trekkers, a guide, a cook and three porters, had set out from Gangotri for the Kedartal trek on October 27 after obtaining permission from the Forest Department. The group was scheduled to return to Gangotri on October 29. However, three porters and a cook were rescued but the remaining members could not be traced.
The trekkers went missing after adverse weather conditions contributed by heavy snowfall and the avalanche at Bhojkharak-Kedartal treks.
There was no trace of the whereabouts or condition of the eight members of the trekking party so far despite two aerial surveys made by helicopters at the area.
List of missing trekkers:
Tapas Bauri (M,30), Ratan Ghosh (M, 23), Manoj Khovas (M, 39), Rintu Mandal (M, 40), Uday Ghosh (M,30) all belonging to Bankuda district in West Bengal, Vertika Verma (F, 28), Deepika Verma (F, 29) both from Lucknow, UP and Sidharth Rana (M, 25) a guide from Bhatwadi in Uttarkashi.