Eight members of a trekking expedition, including five from West Bengal's Bankura district, have gone missing in Uttarakhand after being caught in a sudden avalanche and severe snowstorm while traversing high-altitude terrain on the Kedartal trek, a government official confirmed on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Search and rescue operations have been underway for two days with no breakthrough reported so far.

Who Is Missing

The five Bankura trekkers have been identified as Tapas Bauri, Ratan Ghosh, Rintu Mandal, Uday Ghosh, and Manoj Khawas. The first four are residents of Salbani village, while Manoj hails from Keshra village in the same district. The three other missing members include two from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and one from Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.

The Bankura group had departed for Uttarakhand on 24 October and was originally scheduled to return home in early November.

How the Expedition Unfolded

According to available information, a 12-member expedition team — comprising four Sherpas and an assistant — had set out from Gangotri towards Kedartal. While negotiating mountainous terrain at an altitude of approximately 4,000 metres, most members were engulfed by a sudden snowstorm and lost contact. Four members, including a Sherpa and the assistant, managed to reach their destination on 30 October and subsequently alerted authorities about the eight missing trekkers.

Families of the missing told officials that they had been in regular contact with the group after the trek began. However, all communication ceased two to three days before the alarm was raised, with the mobile phones of the missing trekkers now switched off — compounding the anxiety of their loved ones.

Rescue Operations and Challenges

The Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), assisted by a helicopter operated by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, has been conducting aerial and ground searches across the high-altitude region. Adverse weather conditions at altitude have intermittently hampered operations, and no trace of the missing eight has been found as of Tuesday. The local administration has reached out to all families and assured them of every possible assistance.

West Bengal Government Response

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed deep concern over the situation in a post on X. 'Deeply concerned about the five young trekkers from Bankura: Rintu Mondal, Uday Ghosh, Ratan Ghosh, Tapas Bauri and Manoj Khawas, who have gone missing during the Kedartal trek in Uttarakhand following severe weather and heavy snowfall,' Adhikari wrote.

He stated that his government was in constant touch with the Uttarakhand administration and the SDRF. 'Through our Resident Commissioner's Office in New Delhi and State Disaster Management channels, we are actively seeking regular updates on the extensive search and rescue operations currently underway to locate and rescue our boys,' Adhikari said. He added that the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) and the Superintendent of Police of Bankura district had been assigned round-the-clock coordination duties with Uttarakhand officials at the site.

Bankura District Magistrate Anish Dasgupta confirmed on Tuesday that the district administration had contacted the families immediately upon receiving information and had extended all possible support — both logistical and emotional.

What Comes Next

Rescue teams are expected to intensify operations as weather conditions permit, with helicopter sorties resuming at the earliest available window. The Uttarakhand government has assured families that no effort is being spared. This incident is the latest in a series of trekking-related emergencies in Uttarakhand's high Himalayan zones as pre-winter snowfall increases unpredictably, underscoring the risks of high-altitude expeditions in October and November.