The rescuers are still trying to locate the fifth naval climber and one Sherpa

Mortal remains of four of the five Indian Navy personnel, who had gone missing during a mountaineering expedition to Mount Trishul in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district, were retrieved on Saturday after two days of search operations.

The four Indian Navy personnel were identified as Lt Cdr Rajnikant Yadav, Lt Cdr Yogesh Tiwari, Lt Cdr Anant Kukreti and Hari Om MCPO II. They were part of the 20-member team that got caught in an avalanche while trying to reach the peak of Mount Trishul on Friday.

Ground rescue teams and helicopters from Army, Air Force and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were pressed into action in search operations. The rescuers are still trying to locate the fifth naval climber and one Sherpa.

"Rescuers have made it up to the Sutlej Camp II on way to the peak so far and we hope to reach close to the spot by tomorrow," Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) Principal Col Amit Bisht, who is leading a team of rescuers, said, as quoted by PTI.

A team of rescuers from the NIM, Uttarkashi; High Altitude Warfare School, Gulmarg; and Garhwal Scouts personnel is engaged in the combined search and rescue operation, he said.

The 20-member expedition was flagged off from Mumbai on September 3. Ten climbers had started the final leg to the summit on Friday morning. However, they were hit by an avalanche on their way to the Mt Trishul peak.

While 5 of the 10 climbers were safe, five Indian Navy mountaineers and one Sherpa had gone missing.