Four tourists from Uttar Pradesh who went missing during a trip to Pangong Lake in Ladakh have been safely rescued, police officials said on Tuesday.
The tourists — Yash Mittal, Shivam Chaudhary, Jaiveer Chaudhary and Shadanshu Faujdar from Agra — were reported missing by their families after contact with them was lost a few days ago while they were travelling in the region, officials said.
Police launched a coordinated search operation and successfully traced the group, who had lost their way and taken shelter in a hut amid sub-zero temperatures, officials said.
According to officials, the tourists had travelled to Pangong Lake in a private vehicle on January 9 and, while returning to Leh, mistakenly followed the Leh-Manali road, which is currently closed due to heavy snowfall.
Search teams were deployed based on the last known location of the tourists towards Sarchu, where their vehicle was found abandoned on the roadside after meeting with a minor accident, officials said. The search was subsequently expanded to nearby areas, including Debring and Whisky Nalla.
The tourists were eventually located in a hut around 20 km from their vehicle, officials said, adding that they had spent two nights inside the vehicle using its heating system until the fuel was exhausted.
All four tourists were found to be in stable condition and were provided with food, water and other necessary assistance, officials said. They are expected to be handed over to their families after reaching Leh on Wednesday.