Two stranded foreign mountaineers safely rescued from Uttarakhand's Chamoli

Two foreign women mountaineers, who were stranded at a height of 6,015 metres on way to the Chaukhamba III peak in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, were rescued on Sunday morning, the District Disaster Management Centre here said.

The mountaineers -- Michelle Theresa Dvorak from the USA and Fay Jane Manners from the United Kingdom -- were stranded since October 3.

Both are safe despite their ordeal lasting three days.

Though looking somewhat tired, the experienced mountaineers wore a smile when they were brought to the Jyotirmath (Joshimath) helipad by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel on Sunday morning.

A joint operation by the IAF, SDRF and the State Disaster Management Authority carried out over the past two days led to their safe evacuation.

Two IAF helicopters began a search operation to trace them on Friday. They were joined by climbing trained SDRF personnel on Saturday to assist in the operations hampered by fog and adverse weathe