By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Search and rescue operations are continuing in the high-altitude Kedartal in Uttarakhand to trace the eighth missing trekkers even as seven bodies have been recovered so far, officials said on Friday.
The bodies of three more trekkers were recovered from the Kedartal trek route in Uttarkashi district on Thursday taking the death toll in the avalanche tragedy to seven, they said. A joint team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) recovered the bodies of three men from different locations.
The three bodies, which had been buried under snow following the avalanche, were brought to the base camp by the rescue team. They were subsequently airlifted to Matli helipad in Uttarkashi and taken to the district hospital.
Earlier, four bodies, including those of two men and two women, had been recovered during the search operation.
With Friday’s recoveries, the total number of bodies retrieved has reached seven, comprising five men and two women. Of the eight people reported missing on the Kedartal trek, only one remains untraced.
The joint SDRF-NIM teams are conducting the operation in extremely difficult conditions, battling heavy snowfall, adverse weather and challenging terrain in the high Himalayan region.
Under the direction of SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi, rescue personnel are coordinating with NIM and other agencies to continue the search for the remaining missing person.
Despite the severe weather and logistical challenges, the teams are pressing ahead with the operation.
A trekking expedition comprising seven trekkers, three porters, a cook and guide had gone to Kedartal on Oct 27 but was caught in an avalanche on Oct 29. While four persons including three porters and a cook managed to escape, the remaining seven trekkers and a local guide went missing prompting the authorities to launch a rescue operation after receiving information on Oct 30 evening.