Two stranded foreign mountaineers rescued in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

Gopeshwar: Two foreign women mountaineers, who were stranded at a height of 6,015 metres on way to the Chaukhamba III peak in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, were rescued on Sunday morning, the District Disaster Management Centre here said.

The mountaineers -- Michelle Theresa Dvorak from the USA and Fav Jane Manners from the United Kingdom -- were stranded since October 3.

Two IAF helicopters began a search operation to trace them on Friday. They were joined by mountaineering trained State Disaster Response Force personnel on Saturday to assist in the operations. They were part of a foreign mountaineering expedition by the India Mountaineering Foundation.

According to the state emergency operation centre in Dehradun, the two were stranded after their logistical and technical equipment fell down when they were on way to Chaukhamba III peak situated at 6,995 metres.