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British trekkers rescued amid flash floods in Himalayas British trekkers rescued amid flash floods in Himalayas
(about 20 hours later)
A group of British trekkers have been airlifted from a remote part of Kashmir after becoming trapped following flash flooding in the Himalayas.A group of British trekkers have been airlifted from a remote part of Kashmir after becoming trapped following flash flooding in the Himalayas.
The group of 20 students and three teachers were trekking in Ladakh region when they became trapped on Tuesday.The group of 20 students and three teachers were trekking in Ladakh region when they became trapped on Tuesday.
They were located by ground teams after a two-day search and 10 have since been airlifted to safety by the Indian Air Force, Kashmir officials said. The evacuation began on Thursday, with the trekkers airlifted in two groups by the Indian Air Force.
The rest will be rescued on Friday, after bad weather hampered efforts. Adventure Lifesigns, which organised the expedition, said the team was "at no time" lost and no-one was injured.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are providing consular assistance to a group of British nationals in the Ladakh region, Kashmir, and are in contact with local authorities for updates." The UK Foreign Office said it was providing consular assistance and was in contact with local authorities for updates.
Riyaz Masroor, BBC World Service correspondent, said it had taken two days for authorities to locate the missing group near Leh, in the mountainous Ladakh region, which is part of Indian-administered Kashmir. 'Huge cloudburst'
Huge cloudburst The group of 23, along with five local staff, had been part of a three-week developmental expedition to India, said Adventure Lifesigns, which organises outdoor educational programmes for school groups.
Indian Air Force helicopters had helped the search, our correspondent said, but it was local disaster management experts on the ground who traced the group. They were rescued close to Leh, in the mountainous Ladakh region, which is part of Indian-administered Kashmir.
According to officials in Kashmir, the 13 trekkers who remain stranded have enough food and supplies, he said. Adventure Lifesigns said the team was split into two groups to be airlifted because Ladakh is at high altitude and helicopters in the region can only carry limited numbers.
Keniesha Mills, 40, from Wokingham, Berkshire, was among those rescued on Thursday. The company said a lack of light meant the helicopter could not fly the remaining group out on Thursday, but they "have subsequently been picked up and are now back in Leh town".
She told the BBC the rest of the Britons are safe, but four trekkers had minor injuries. She said a huge cloudburst caused flash floods in streams when they were returning form the trek on Tuesday. "Safety is paramount on all of our expeditions. At no time was any of the group in danger. After the heavy rains began, they initially camped near the swollen Markha river and waited for the rains to subside and river levels to drop," Adventure Lifesigns said in a statement on Friday.
"We were in regular contact with the team and they had adequate supplies and camping equipment. Due to their imminent return to the UK, it was decided for speed to air evacuate them back to Leh airport."
Keniesha Mills, 40, from Wokingham, Berkshire, was among those airlifted in the first group.
She said a huge cloudburst caused flash floods when they were returning from a trek on Tuesday.
Several areas in Ladkah - a disputed territory between India and Pakistan that has attracted increasing numbers of adventure tourists in recent years - have suffered flooding in recent days.Several areas in Ladkah - a disputed territory between India and Pakistan that has attracted increasing numbers of adventure tourists in recent years - have suffered flooding in recent days.