A British tourist has tragically died while trekking in the Himalayan mountains of northern India, after sustaining critical injuries on a remote trail.
The man was hiking with a friend near Thathri village in Dharamshala, navigating what emergency responders described as extremely difficult terrain when the accident occurred.
The two men were attempting the Triund trek, a well-known 7km route in the foothills of the Dhauladhar mountain range, when the victim fell during the descent. His friend, who was uninjured, rushed to a nearby village to seek help.
At 18:00 on Sunday, local rescuers from the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Response Force received an emergency call and dispatched a team of 10 to locate the men.
After a four-hour trek through rugged terrain, the team reached them at 22:30, finding one severely injured. The rescue team secured him onto a stretcher and began a slow, challenging descent.
The treacherous landscape, combined with multiple river crossings and steep gradients, made progress exceptionally slow, with rescuers covering only 100 metres in two hours.
By morning, additional rescue teams arrived to assist, but the extreme conditions continued to delay the evacuation.
The victim was finally taken to hospital at 17:08 on Monday, nearly 24 hours after the initial distress call, but was declared dead on arrival. His friend remained unharmed.
Authorities in Kangra district had recently imposed a temporary ban on high-altitude trekking due to hazardous winter conditions, but reports suggest the British pair were unaware of the restrictions.
They had reportedly reached the snowline, where permanent snow covers the mountain throughout the year.
The victim has yet to be formally identified, and the UK Foreign Office has confirmed it is providing support to his family while remaining in contact with local authorities in India.
