How 73 Lives Were Rescued from Miyar Valley in the Face of Collapsing Bridges and Landslides

The past few days have been intense. News from Himachal has been deeply worrying, landslides every day, bridges collapsing, and entire stretches of road getting washed away.

And in the middle of this, 73 trekkers were stranded on the Miyar Valley trek. The Gompa Nala, having turned ferocious overnight, had cut them off completely. The bridge that had taken them across the previous day had vanished in a matter of hours. 

Without crossing the Nala, there was no way for them to return. To add to the challenge, the location has no mobile signal, making it impossible to call for outside help.

This is the story of how our team, along with the support of the government, local villagers, NDRF and ITBP, carried out a 64-hour evacuation.

But what took 64 hours? 

Here is a closer look at what unfolded between August 13th and 16th.

August 13th, 2025: The first emergency call 

On the afternoon of August 13th, at around 3.30 pm, news broke from deep inside the Miyar Valley: the Gompa Nala bridge had collapsed.

It was a call from Shamsher ji, our local co-ordinator at Khanjar, that conveyed the news to our Manali Jungle Line Base Camp.  

This wasn’t just any broken bridge. It was the only link across a ferocious stream. It was now washed off. 

There were 17 Indiahikes trekkers on the other side of the river. In addition, there were lots of trekkers from other organisations too: a total of 73 people, including staff, mulemen and shepherds. 

But here’s what made matters worse:  Miyar Valley is a remote trek in Lahaul, with terrible road connectivity. On a normal day, it takes around 5 hours to get from Manali to Khanjer via Udaipur, which includes a final stretch of off-roading. 

But this time, with heavy rains, the road was washed off too, largely buried under landslide debris. Road connectivity to Khanjar was completely cut off. 

In other words, there was no way in and no way out.

The only respite in all this news was that our trekkers were safe at our campsite across the nala. Our kitchen team was functional, with enough supplies to last them three days. They were safe. 

The First Response

As soon as the call came in, all in-charges at the Manali Jungle Line campus assembled. The situation was still hazy. No one knew how bad things were, or how ferocious the river had turned. But one thing was clear: a rescue team had to move immediately.

A three-member team — Khadku da (a senior member at Indiahikes, Ration Store in-charge and chef), Heera ji (trek co-ordinator), and Pratik Jagtap (Assistant Slope Manager) — was nominated as the Quick Response Team.

By 5:30 pm, they had left Manali, aiming to reach Udaipur by 9:30 pm.

The Journey to Udaipur: What was supposed to be 4 hours turned into 6 hours

The journey itself turned treacherous. Just before Tandi, a rockfall blocked their road for two hours.

Stoic as ever, Pratik recalls:

“We utilised that time to plan what had to be done once we reached Udaipur. By midnight, we finally got there. We knew we had to start at 5:30 am the next morning, but we had no idea what lay ahead.”

Walking into a Disaster Zone

At dawn on August 14th, the team set off by vehicle to Khanjar. Just 3 km into the valley, they encountered the first landslide zone. Landslides had torn through the road, streams had taken over pathways, and entire chunks of the mountainside were gone.

“One thought ran through our heads,” Pratik recalls. “If this was the beginning, how bad would it be deeper inside the valley?”

They abandoned their vehicle and moved on foot. Swollen streams, with rocks and mud gurgling downhill, forced them into risky crossings.  

What was supposed to be a small section covered on foot turned into 25 km of walking on destroyed roads and mudslides. At a crucial junction, Karpat, a metal bridge was completely washed off, and our team had to cross treacherous sections on foot.

Still, with extraordinary speed, they covered 25 km and reached Khanjar by afternoon.

At Khanjar, they explained the rescue plan to the team and set off immediately towards Gompa Nala. They carried a kitchen tent, an evacuation kit, and provisions, with the help of three mules. More of our staff joined: Karma Daju, a seasoned mountain guide, Sukhdev ji (Crosstrek in-charge at Manali), and Vikas ji (guide).

It was another 20 km trek to the location where our trekkers were stranded. This too was an arduous trail, which was damaged by rain.

By 5:30 pm, they reached Gompa Nala. They camped right across the river from where our trekkers were stuck. The Gompa Nala was flowing in all its might. Raging brown water that seemed to suck everything that came along the way. 

There, Karma Daju and Sukhdev ji went ahead to scout for a safe anchor point near the Gompa Nala. The rest of the team conducted quick simulation exercises, practising anchor setups and assigning roles.

Pratik says:

“That evening, every role was detailed: who would set up the Tyrolean Traverse (TT), who would pull trekkers across, who would ensure their psychological safety. We also pitched a shelter for the evacuees in case of rain”

The actual evacuation had to wait until early the next morning, when the stream’s ferocity would ease a bit.

The Evacuation

On August 15th, rain delayed the start. 

Pratik recollects:

“It started raining at 4:00 AM and went on till 6:30 AM. We were running behind the anticipated time. Our team reached the location at 6:30 AM and started making a base for the Tyrolean Traverse (TT). By 7:00 AM, everything was set up, and we began evacuating the trekkers one by one, team-wise.”

It took around 2 hours to bring every trekker across the roaring Gompa Nala. 

“By 8:45 am, all 73 people — trekkers, shepherds, mulemen — had been brought across. Every single person. Every single bag. It all went with clockwork precision because we had visualised each step the night before.”

Towards the end, the NDRF and ITBP rescue teams arrived. Close to six staff remained on the far side, and with their help, they too were evacuated.

The officers, initially assuming our team was from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), were surprised when they learned it was an Indiahikes team. They openly appreciated the protocols and professionalism.

Our team served warm food to all 73 members, including the NDRF team. 

By 2:00 pm, the equipment was packed up and moved. By 5:30 pm, everyone was back in Khanjar.

That evening, in a symbolic moment of relief and celebration, the team baked an Independence Day cake.

The Journey Back: As arduous as the river rescue

On August 16th, breakfast was served at 4.00 am, so trekkers from both groups could move before first light. Unlike the river rescue, here, trekkers had additional luggage they had left behind. Our team hired porters to carry the excess baggage, ferrying nearly 430 kg.

By then, the villagers had come together to rebuild the wooden bridges, ensuring that both trekkers and locals who were stuck could cross safely.

Additionally, they had to navigate back on the destroyed road all the way back to Udaipur. This involved navigation by road, but largely on foot until Karpat, from where a vehicle could somehow pick them up.

It took until the evening, but every trekker made it back safely to Udaipur, from where they further left to Manali.

Thoughts after the rescue:

For Pratik, those three days became a defining memory:

“What happened between the 13th and 16th was the highlight of my life. It left an immense impression on me as a human being. We hardly slept, but in that tunnel, the only light was the smile on the faces of those we rescued. The mission was crystal clear: every life had to be brought back safely.”

Across those 64 hours, they collectively slept for about 6-8 hours. Yet, care never once took a back seat.

At the Bangalore office, we waited anxiously to hear from the slope teams. But knowing our mountain teams, we knew that they would go far beyond expecations to bring every trekker back to safety. 

In Udaipur, at the DFO’s office, the Indiahikes staff were formally recognised for conducting the smooth rescue operation. The Tehsildar himself welcomed the team, celebrating the safe return of every trekker.

In conclusion: 

In the trekking world, especially at Indiahikes, rescue operations are rare. They occur only under dire circumstances, largely caused by natural disasters and (occasionally) political instability in certain regions. 

It happens without drama, no heli rescues, no air-dropping of supplies, no mobile network, even. It's the story of the hard realities of mountain rescues in our country, where the geography of the Himalayas does not allow the luxuries of filmy-style rescue missions. 

Our last such rescue was in 2023, during a very similar situation, when a bridge was washed off and road access, cut off. The scale was larger, with over 150 of our trekkers stranded across different treks.

Many people attribute such operations to courage, bravery and valour. Of course, you need certain grit to pull this off. 

However, we’ve seen time and again that what matters most is the experience you have in your team, the processes you have, the equipment you have, and the capacity you have. 

Indiahikes was able to deploy an eventual team of 16 members to help trekkers to safety. Each of these team members was a trained trek leader, a mountain guide or a seasoned member with over 6 years of hard Himalayan experience. 

So when trekkers say we are the safest trekking organisation, a lot of their trust comes from what they see on treks: the people, processes and equipment. Something we are incredibly proud to have built for so many years at Indiahikes. 

At the end of the day, if we can sleep peacefully with trekkers spread across the mountains, it is knowing that they are in safe hands. 

A special mention of everyone involved in the rescue operation:

Rescues of this scale are never the effort of one or two individuals — they are the outcome of many people stepping in.

We owe a heartfelt thanks to Shamsher ji, our local coordinator, without whom this rescue would not have been possible. His sharp thinking and presence of mind at every step made the operation smoother than it could have been in such circumstances.

To Pratik Jagtap and Abhishek Tiwari, who dived straight into the rescue knowing well that it would not be solved easily.

To every member of the on-ground team — Sukhdev Singh Rawat, Karma Sherpa, Deepak Uniyal (Campsite in-charge Miyar Valley), Kishan Singh (Rohit), Pravin Dhaiya (Trek leader), Praveen Singh (Campsite in-charge Miyar Valley), Ashish Singh (chef), Heera Bisht, Rajesh — thank you for standing strong through every high and low of those 64 hours.

Anoop (from Bikat Adventures) helped set up the TT base and stood by through the evacuation, even as his trekkers were stranded. Acknowledgement to Nityam from Out on Odyssey, who stayed with the trekkers and moved along with the Indiahikes team from Udaipur to Gompa Nala, since his team too was stranded.

A thank you to the Manali Jungle Line base team that coordinated the whole effort: Akshay Pawaskar (Slope Manager), 

A special mention to Yogesh, our Experience Coordinator. Even though he was in the Bangalore office, he ensured to keep worried family members and dear ones constantly updated.

We also deeply acknowledge the support of local villagers, DFO (Udaipur District), Tehsildar (Udaipur District) and the assistance extended by the NDRF and ITBP teams, who joined us on the ground when it did really matter.