3 days ago
After Everest Fall, Rescue Team Helps Save 400 Soldiers
Hemant Sachdev once fell into a dangerous crevasse while climbing Mount Everest.
A friend rescued him because he had the right skills and equipment.
Years later, Hemant learned that soldiers in Siachen had been trapped by an avalanche.
He wondered why soldiers could not receive similar specialized rescue help.
He created Tiranga Mountain Rescue in 2016.
Its teams search for people buried by avalanches and help move them through dangerous mountains.
The teams use tools such as beacons, probes, shovels and special electronic detectors.
They have helped save about 400 soldiers and trained many more.
Now the organization wants to improve mountain rescue across the Himalayas.
Hemant Sachdev founded Tiranga Mountain Rescue in 2016 after surviving a dangerous fall on Mount Everest and learning the value of skilled rescue support.
Tiranga Mountain Rescue now operates 16 specialized teams across avalanche-prone Himalayan regions, working with the Indian Army and disaster-response agencies.
The organization says its work has helped save approximately 400 soldiers and trained more than 20,000 Army personnel in avalanche awareness and emergency response.
In 2022, a three-member team located seven missing soldiers near Tawang within four hours, although none survived; in another Kashmir rescue, two of three buried soldiers lived.
Tiranga Mountain Rescue mobilizes within five minutes and aims to expand professional mountain-rescue infrastructure across the Himalayas.
- Who
- Tiranga Mountain Rescue, founded by climber Hemant Sachdev, works with the Indian Army and disaster-response agencies.
- What
- It provides professional avalanche and mountain-rescue services, training and emergency support.
- Where
- Its teams operate across avalanche-prone Himalayan regions from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh and in other disaster zones in India.
- When
- The organization was founded in 2016; an agreement with Army Headquarters was reached in September 2024.
- Why
- Hemant Sachdev created the organization after surviving a 2013 Everest accident and learning of soldiers who died in a Siachen avalanche.
Key facts
- Founded
- 2016
- Rescue teams
- 16 specialized teams
- Soldiers helped
- Approximately 400
- Army personnel trained
- More than 20,000
- Mobilization time
- Within five minutes of a distress call
- 2022 Tawang mission
- Seven missing soldiers located within four hours
- Army agreement
- Agreement with Army Headquarters in September 2024
Quotes
Pradhuman Singh
Tiranga Mountain Rescue member based in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district
“If you don't have a great structure or a good sense of very skilled people to provide you safety, to ensure your safety, then you can never really achieve great heights”
thebetterindia.com
“We do it out of passion. They do it out of duty, and are still left to face these circumstances”
thebetterindia.com
Sources
Related news
Indian team becomes first to summit 6,027-metre Tharang II
Uttarakhand Snow Rescues Continue After 29 Trekkers Airlifted Safely
Indian-German Climber, Sherpa Guide Killed on Manaslu
Shimla Police Rescue Four Trekkers Lost Near Churdhar Peak
Rescuers Search for 12 Missing After Himlung Himal Avalanche
Ambernath Youth Rescued After Jumping Into Matheran Valley
Everest Summiteer to Pace Runners at Delhi Half Marathon
Tenzing Sets 2026 Apple TV+ Release Date
Ajit Doval Recalls Career Crisis After Border Team Capture
