Sixteen trekkers, including 10 foreign nationals, who had gone missing in Pangi valley of Chamba district have been rescued.
Kangra range DIG Atul Fulzele said the trekkers that included nine UK nationals, including eight males and one female, and one Irish national, besides three residents of Uttarakhand and local Lahaul residents have reached Sarchu in the Lahaul area along with the search party. All the trekkers were safe, he added.
The trekkers who had gone for an expedition from Pangi valley to Lahaul on September 18 were untraceable. Information regarding the missing trekkers was provided to Pangi administration by potters who had replenished supplies of trekkers. Since the trekkers were untraceable and there was heavy snow in the region, the administration of Chamba had yesterday dispatched teams of mountaineers and police to trace the trekkers.
Pangi valley located in Pir Panjal ranges is one of the remotest areas of Chamba district. About 15,000 tribals known as ‘Pangals’ reside in valley. Besides ‘Pangals’, the area is also inhabited by Bhoti Buddhists.
The area has very old monasteries which are practically cut off from the rest of the world. It is assessable from Chamba district through Saach pass. However, the pass remains closed for about six months a year due to heavy snow.
There was another road connecting Pangi valley with Lahaul area of Lahaul and Spiti district. The area borders the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.
