Uttarakhand: Pilgrim from Delhi goes missing along trek to Rudranath temple

Gopeshwar: A pilgrim from Delhi went missing while returning from a trek to Rudranath temple in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, a senior official said on Friday.

Akash Gupta, who was part of a group of over 40 pilgrims from Delhi, went missing late on Thursday evening near Pung Padav, Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari told reporters here.

The rest of the pilgrims returned safely from the trek on Thursday, he said.

A forest department team and the State Disaster Response Force have launched a search for the missing pilgrim, Tiwari said. The trek is difficult as pilgrims have to walk up steep slopes, through dense forests and meadows for about 20 km to reach the temple from Sagar village and Anusuya gate.

This group had started the trek from Sagar village, the DM said. Rudranath is one of the most inaccessible temples in the 'Panchkedar' group of temples in Uttarakhand. The other temples in the group are Kedarnath, Tungnath, Kalpeshwar and Madhyamaheshwar.

A large number of pilgrims from the country and abroad visit it every year to worship Lord Shiva.

Incidents of pilgrims getting separated from their groups along the trek is common.