UK national dead, other rescued from Dhauladhars

The state disaster management authority today rescued one UK national and retrieved body of another UK national from Dhauladhar mountain ranges adjoining Dharamsala.

SP, SDRF Arjit Sen said that on February 16 at around 6 pm, control room of SDRF Kangra unit received information from the Kangra administration regarding rescue of trapped tourist, Howard Thomas Harry, and his friend Robert John, both UK nationals who were trekking near Thathri, Khaniyara, Dharamsala.

In response, a rescue team of 10 personnel was pressed into service at 6:30 pm. The team began its trek from Thathri Power Project. Upon reaching Dritto Café, they were informed that the victims were located 4 km further uphill in extremely difficult terrain.

After four hours of trekking, the team located those trapped at 10:30 pm with one trekker in a critical condition. They secured the critical trekker onto a stretcher and began the challenging descent along with his co-trekker.

The rough terrain and repeated crossings of a rivulet made progress extremely slow, requiring nearly two hours to cover just 100 meters. At 12:45 am on February 17 due to exhaustion and the victim’s heavy body, the team requested back-up. In response, a second team of eight personnel was dispatched, reaching the first team at 8 am. They continued transporting the victims but faced extreme difficulty due to the steep landscape, requiring multiple anchoring of the stretcher.

By 2:20 pm, due to increasing fatigue and the challenging terrain, a third back-up team of 10 personnel was mobilised, reaching the rescue site at 4 pm. The combined efforts of all teams finally enabled the successful transport of the victim and his friend, Robert John, down to the ambulance at 5:08 pm.

Unfortunately, upon arrival at Zonal Hospital, Dharamsala, Howard Thomas Harry was declared dead. However, his friend, Robert John, was unharmed. Local administration is taking further necessary action, he said.