SRINAGAR: A pilgrim from Ludhiana, Punjab, went missing under tragic circumstances near Z-Morh during a night trek, prompting a large multi-agency rescue operation in the glacier zone of central Kashmir.
The deceased has been identified as Surinder Pal Arora, son of Gain Chand Arora. “He was part of a group of seven yatris trekking down from Burimarg to Railpathri around 12:30 AM. According to officials, Arora began showing signs of high-altitude sickness, leading to erratic behaviour. He reportedly started running aimlessly, took repeated cold water showers, and eventually jumped over a railing near Z-Morh, disappearing into a nearby glacier,” officials said.
Upon receiving the alert, police teams, along with Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) from SDRF, NDRF, JKAP, CRPF, Village Guards, and other support agencies, launched an intensive joint search operation to trace the missing pilgrim.
Authorities also deployed drone surveillance to assist the search teams across the challenging and icy terrain. As of the time of filing this report, the operation to retrieve the pilgrim’s body was still underway. (KNT)
