INDIAN ARMY EVEREST MASSIF EXPDITION TEAM- 2015

The Survivors to savioursThe mountains of ice were crashing from the all sides. The glacier below was shaking and the ice below was yawning while he soldiers started running to trudge for lower and safer place. Cloud of snow due to the crashing ice had curtailed our line of sight. Hearts were besotted with only one thought: to reach to a safer location. All this was happening at Khumbu ice-fall which at 6000 metres of height on the way to Mount Everest Peak. Two sides, the standing West Shoulder and Nuptse Face hold the Khumbu Icefall like the support of a ladder and here this very support was crashing on to us. “Sit down…..cover your face” I don’t know from where these words started flowing out of my mouth. Perhaps training was paying me in the form of these words coming out as a reflex action on the day when on 25 April, 2015 when calamity had befallen the Everest Base Camp. The shock for us was at a distance of around 3 kilometers at the Base Camp.

Indian Mount Everest Massif Expedition team was stuck amidst the avalanches. It was a unique as we are often trained or are aware of avalanche coming from one direction but here we motley humans were thrown-in to bear the nature’s fury from all around. The avalanche was coming from all the directions. The massive ice boulders crashing down violently were creating a wind blast which and a gush of wind mixed with snow with air, thus enhancing the effect of tremors of the earth. While earth was shaking, wind blast was throwing bigger chunks of ice with a potential of knocking people and even throwing them into crevice which were forming everywhere due to yawning of the ice. This longest period of five minutes came as a revelation: left completely helpless yet spirit was to survive. I do not have words to describe the reactions other than saying that it was a natural reaction regimented due to training which saved us. Only once I realised that the avalanche has slowed that I shouted “RUN”!!!!! It was the race against an approaching danger; the run for life at 20000 foot, crampon in foot, crevices all around and one could have tripped into crevices anytime. But who cares when life was at stake.

THE TEAM COMINMG DOWN AFTER SURVIVING MULTIPLE AVALANCHES AT KHUMBU GLACIER

I don’t remember having even a hint of these hindrances in my mind while I was racing against danger. Every step was faster than the previous one for with every step the survival instinct was getting stronger. We reached at the Crampon Point. My eyes were moist as not even a trace would have been left had we been got stuck in the avalanche. As a soldier only one thing came to my mind, to see every person of the team. We were a team of 31, 21 climbers and 10 Sherpas. No one can imagine the way my heart was thumping till the count was not complete. The safety of every member on the Khumbu icefall was a big relief to each one of us standing together. We immediately started moving down. The first thing we came across was a broken black camp chair. It was foggy and the Base Camp was still not in sight. Then I saw a Mattress and could not think that how was this

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mattress thrown there in such a careless manner. This all gave an omen of something real bad. I was still not able to realise that an earthquake of 7.9 Richter had struck the mountaineers at the Mount Everest Complex. Our death defying experience had exhilarated all of us and we were laughing totally unaware of what was waiting for us. The first sight of the Base Camp appeared to be normal. As we approached the Base Camp we a saw a queue of people looking at us. The first thought came that these people were waiting to welcome us. How unaware we were! These people were out in open and were waiting to fathom their losses and were preparing to react against this nature’s fury. And when they saw us coming they all looked at us to gather our losses. It was the end of our euphoria for I could distinguish that their look was that of fear and amazement as they were alive and they saw us also safe. Now, we got to know that were entering into a real and present danger. Our heart beats shot-up. Then the glimpse of Tricolour fluttering right in front at a distance of 100 meter gave me a sense of relief. This Tricolour fluttering in the wind and light snow fall was being waived by Captain PK Rai. It was a signal to every Indian present there to muster under the flag.

BASE CAMP ON 24 APRIL BASE CAMP ON 25 APRIL

We all rushed towards the flag and the sight of people running, hurt mountaineers and Sherpas with blood on their faces and bodies were running like a slow motion picture. Tent of Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) was shattered, people were shouting to quickly initiate rescue operations. I was totally numb and sprinting towards our camp as first desire to see the team members who were at the Base Camp. God was really kind as all the members were safe at my camp. There were few members who were hurt from the moving river of ice and the flying rocks.

DEVASTATION AT KHUMBU GLACIER CAPT PK RAI WITH THE INDIAN FLAG

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DAMAGED TENTS AT BASE CAMP RESCUE EFFORTS AT BASE CAMP

Mr Sanjay the Cameraman, Havaldar Dalvir Singh and CHM Kesang Rangdol in our team were hurt. Sanjay Ji (54 years old) had minor head injury, Dalvir was blown away to a distance of 100 meters and had landed on a rock hitting his backbone, Kesang had swollen wrist with hair line fracture. Even after sustaining, these brave men were calm in that chaos. Major Ritesh Goel, our Medical Officer, did a good job. Captain PK Rai saved 9 lives. For a moment I went into the flashback.I could not stop myself from reminiscing the fateful morning of 5 June, 2009 when we, a team of 11 were stuck on a summit ridge of mount Mana at 22000 feet due to blizzard. We had started at 3 am and could reach back to summit camp only at 8 pm. It had tested every muscle and had given us a glimpse of near death experience. God took only the sacrifice of my one finger in the left hand. Although people told that they had anticipated extremes but every team member was safe. But, I never knew that fate will throw me into even more difficult situation. Indian Army had 15 tents at the Everest Base Camp. Only two tents were left intact and the rest were all blown away. The site was akin to the post blast condition. There were traces of boots, equipments, and personal belongings. A different kind of worry started bothering us now. I was worried about Passports, laptops and Mobile Phones. The first thing is I did was to call each one closer. I made it compulsory for each one of the team member to call back home and tell family members that we are all fine. Doctor (Major) Ritesh Told her Mother that he was fine but did not have the courage to tell her that he was at the Base Camp. So, he told her that he was in Kathmandu. We all the team members could understand why Ritesh was speaking so. This he told to her only to not put her into panick as she would have suffered a heart attack on hearing that Ritesh was stuck in such a dangerous situation. He is the youngest and the most loved child in the family. One by one everyone was giving a compulsory call to home. I called my wife. She was not even aware of what had struck all of us. This is well understood as she was looking after two small kids, a three year old daughter named Doodle and Daksh, son of eight years. While all this was going we got busy in devising strategy for our next move.There were a lot many mountaineers for whom our attention was important. We got organised into two teams of 12 members and 15 members. Captain PK Rai was given the important task of finding out our team belongings for our life was at stake as weather was ready to engulf us into every kind of adverse condition with the approaching freezing night. We 15 rushed to rescue the people.

Nature has its own way of hurting and then healing. As the luck would have it, our tent which had the store of precious medicine was intact. Perhaps, nature ensured that it is left intact so that Indian Army team could be of life saving support to the people at the base camp. Full Form (HRA) was 100 meters away from us, and as soon as we reached 4 dead bodies were brought. This was the place where all the casualties were being brought. The biggest help was needed for the HRA because it was the most practical place to cater in that scant resource. They needed everything, manpower, Medicine and most required was essential Intra Venous Fluids. Doctor informed us and I along with four boys

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rushed to bring the whole box of injections, lifesaving injections, IVs and other Life Saving Drugs. It was decided there that for the safety of the injured the field hospital was required to be shifted to a safer place towards Gorakshep. The preparation and planning prove their worth in the condition of emergency and it was yet again established. Indian Army team had carried stretchers and these were of utmost help to so many. People were being brought on make-shift stretchers whereas our teams were able to be of immense help in moving the casualty swiftly because we had proper stretchers. It all should be attributed to preparations and panning. In all this rush time was in nobody’s mind. I realised that once dark sets in the assistance to those requiring shifting to a safe place will also slow down. This was the time of 3:30 pm. We kept rushing people and by the time it was 6:30 it became dark and very chilled. The sheer frenzy of the event had overwhelmed all of us. The fury of nature was yet to abate.

Things had still not stabilised as tremors were occurring regularly. Assessing the unpredictable condition, I put two sentries to keep an eye for anything dangerous happening. With these two sentries focusing to sense and inform about any imminent danger helped in bringin focus into the work of the other team members and also mitigated the stress. Sentry was a two hour duty for everyone in turns. It was very important to give whatever sleep was possible to the team. More than that I had to think of the next day when with the first light of the day I had to not just take care of this team but was also to be of utmost support to the fellow mountaineers. Our doctor, Major Ritesh Goel and four other team members had shifted to International Mountain Guides tents as it was the lowermost and the safest place at that time. Ritesh proved his worth and did a remarkable work as he saved the lives of 8 people who had head injuries. The hard work of Ritesh proved crucial for because of him other members could focus on shifting casualty to the make-shft helipad for immediate evacuation. Since morning around eight helicopters were continuously hovering to evacuate the casualties from that high altitude. The maximum damage was done to Adventure Consultants and Chinese Women Everest teams were hit the Most.

RESCUE EFFORTS AT EVEREST BASE CAMP

On 26 we helped, 27-28 we searched for our items and we were able to retrieve 80 percent of our things.In between our operation we got good news. Team members were able to search out passports and phones. The other people who were lucky were those who were ahead at Camps I and II. Camp 1 and Camp 2 had teams of Medicine Mountaineering, IMG, Asian Trekking, Seven Summits, British Gurkha, were all up. There were around 40 climbers at Camp I and Camp II and God had been kind to them. They were all safe and sound. May 1 was a crucial day for all the mountaineers. It was the day when the Ice Fall Doctors (Definition) were to inspect and decide about the future of our expeditions. The icefall doctors came and they returned back from half way and declared that it was not feasible to fix the ropes. By that time 35 teams out of 40 had left the base

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camp. It had hit us all very hard for one can imagine the feeling of all of us there waiting at the Base Camp so as to reach the summit. But, as we are taught in Army, we had to keep thinking ahead. We got busy with helping and organizing the people who remained at the Base Camp. Also, we now shifted to another equally important work. We then set ourselves to clean the area as much as possible. What was a bustling village of around 1000 mountaineers, climbers, Sherpa, cooks and support staff was like a God forsaken place. Only around 200 people remained and out of which 58 were part of the Indian team with the climbers and the Sherpa and cooks included. This team was bruised but not down. We had got another goal to be motivated.

CLEANING CAMPAIGN AT KHUMBU GLACIER

Kesang is fine, Dalbir is fine, Sanjay ji has begun cracking jokes again. We all met after coming to Delhi. When we were all parting I was wondering that death can come so close. Each one of us have become a band of brothers for nature left us lucky.

INDAIN ARMY EVEREST MASSIF EXPEDITION TEAM

“ SURVIVORS & SAVIOURS”

Lt Col Ranveer Singh Jamwal, VSM** is a veteran of more than 22 mountaineering Expeditions across four continents that includes Mt Everest three times, in 2012, 2013 & 2015. He is an accomplished mountaineer with varied mountaineering expeditions under his belt to include Garhwal Himalayas, Kumaon Himalayas, Zanskar ranges in Ladakh, Great Himalayas in Nepal, Alps in Europe, Andes in South America & Caucaus Ranges in Russia. Ranveer has the distinction of climbing the Highest peaks in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America . . Ranveer is also a trained Mountain rescue specialist from Switzerland and has been actively involved in more than 7 mountain rescue operations in India & abroad. The officer is also the recipient of Tenzing Norgay National Advenure Award in 2013 & 10 other Army & Civil Awards, The officer is presently serving as GSO-1 (Land) in Army Adventure Wing, IHQ of MoD (Army)