On trek to mark R-Day, IAF team rescues stranded civilian in Ladakh

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 15

As part of the 70th Republic Day commemorations, Air Force Station, Thoise, conducted a trekking expedition for air warriors along the Chadar trail on the frozen Zanskar river in the rugged terrain of the Ladakh.

During the course of the trek, the team saved the life of another trekker, an engineer from Mumbai, who had fallen in the water when the ice crust under him broke. The IAF team was nearby and responded to the cries of the individual who was pulled out of the icy water using the equipment available with the team.

The expedition team comprising seven air warriors led by Wg Cdr Vikrant Uniyal, a qualified mountaineer from Army Mountaineering Institute, Siachen, covered 65 km in five days, an IAF statement said.

The Chadar Trek is one of the toughest and most challenging trails in the country. The trek began from Chilling and continued on Chadar, as the frozen Zanskar river is called, via Tibb cave till Naerak village. The nights were spent in tents near caves near the frozen river at an altitude of 13,000 ft. The mercury count was between -15 and -20 degrees during daytime, which dropped to -25 degrees at night.