Families relieved as Kolkata mountaineers found safe in Manali

Kolkata: The family members of six mountaineers from Kolkata finally breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday afternoon upon learning that the team, which had embarked on an expedition in Himachal Pradesh, is safe and currently in Manali.

Their anxiety had mounted over the past days as none of the team members could be contacted since August 17.

The team led by experienced mountaineer M Nabi Tarafder comprised Arunava Naskar, Debasish Bardhan, Nilu Saha, Tridib Sarkar and Subhadip Mukhopadhyay, are all members of Kolkata-based ‘The Institute of Exploration’. All of them are residents of different parts of Kolkata.

The six mountaineers, along with seven porters and a sherpa, had spoken with the organisation for the last time on August 17, when they claimed to be at Batal in Lahaul – Spiti. Following the conversation, they were supposed to set up for the base camp. It was presumed that they would come within network coverage area latest by August 26 , but all efforts to establish contact with them proved futile, and all of the family members were deeply concerned about their safety.

“The weather conditions in Himachal have been extremely hostile for the past one week, with heavy rainfall aggravating the situation further. The telephone network had gone awry and so contact could not be established,” said a member of the institute.

They had also contacted the police superintendent of Lahaul- Spiti and the SDPO of Keylong, seeking assistance as they were missing.