UK national dies, another rescued after trekking accident in Dhauladhar mountains

A rescue operation was conducted by the State Disaster Management Authority in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges, resulting in the rescue of one UK national, Robert John, and the recovery of the body of another UK national, Howard Thomas Harry.

According to SP SDRF Arjit Sen, on February 16, around 6 pm, Control Room HPSDRF Kangra Unit received information from the Kangra administration regarding the rescue of two injured tourists, both UK nationals, who were trekking near Thathri, Khaniyara.

A rescue team of 10 personnel was deployed at 6.30 pm, and they began their trek from Thathri Power Project. After 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 the victims 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 backup.

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 anchorings of the stretcher.

By 2.20 pm, due to increasing fatigue and the challenging terrain, a third backup 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 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. The local administration is taking further necessary action.