Three Ladakhi Mountaineers Missing in Action.

Leh, Monday, September 18, 2006Disaster struck a mountaineering expedition team of J&K Armoured Police organised by the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering (JIM) when the three members of their advance party went missing during their feat to claim the Kun peak of Zanskar range recently. The rescue team sent to trace Sonam Wangyal r/o Saspol, Leh (Ct. 4th Bn. IR), Tsewang Nurboo r/o Alchi, Leh (Ct. 9th Bn, IR) and Mohd. Mussa r/o Sankoo, Kargil (Ct. 12th Bn, JKAP) returned empty handed. SSP, Leh Alok Kumar, said, so far no recovery has been made and the ITBP team assigned for the task could not find the missing members. The 19-member expedition team including two Inspectors and one team leader Colonel Shekhawat of Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering (JIM) was set off for the expedition in the first week of this month. According to Dy. S P, Kargil, P Sonam, Kargil police have been carrying out intense rescue operations for the past 15 days during which two rescue teams were sent including aerial surveys by helicopters but so far there is no trace of the missing climbers. P. Sonam further told that the three members are believed to be stranded at a height of about 22000 ft. where the snow level is up to 10 ft. The three advance team members were at verge to scale the summit when they lost contact with the base. The local police at Kargil is leaving no stone unturned in their effort to find the three missing constables and more rescue teams are being dispatched for the same.
Reeling under shock, the relatives of the missing members are knocking at doors of all top authorities and ministers but to no avail so far. “There is hardly anyone left whom we did not approach for help,” said Sonam Wangchuk, cousin of one of the missing climbers. Blaming it on the organisers, Sonam revealed that the relatives of the missing climbers were informed about the tragedy very late on Sept. 9 though the incident occurred three days earlier. Soon after receiving the news, we sought the intervention of top ministers and bureaucrats that finally set the rescue operation on, he said. The ill fated families, disheartened by the tragedy, feel that rescue efforts being put by the concerned quarters are not satisfactory. “We heard that during a helicopter sortie tents were sighted at a height, but no actual rescue effort was made,” Sonam said. A glimmer of hope is still flickering in the hearts of the grief stricken families and they are praying hard for the safe return of their dear ones.