British tourist dies in India after ‘fall’ during mountain trek

A British tourist has died while trekking with a friend in the Dhauladhar mountains in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

It is reported they suffered a serious injury after falling during their descent to the village Thathri, on the outskirts of Dharamshala.

Local police believe the pair, both 27, were unaware about a ban on high-altitude hiking in the winter season, according to The Times of India.

A spokesperson from the UK’s Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in India and are in contact with the local authorities.”

The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Response Force (HP-SDRF) posted details of their rescue operation on X.

The HP-SDRF, which describes the group as a specialised state force dedicated to disaster response, said it was alerted to the incident on Sunday at around 6pm local time.

A rescue team of 10 personnel was deployed in what was described as “extremely difficult terrain” locating the victims at 10.30pm with one of the men “in a critical condition”.

The injured man was then transported by stretcher but progress was “extremely slow” and a second and third team had to be deployed because of “increasing fatigue and the challenging terrain”.

It was not until Monday that “the combined efforts of all teams finally enabled the successful transport of the victim and his friend, at 5.08pm”, wrote the HP-SDRF on X.

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The rescue team added that “unfortunately, upon arrival at Zonal Hospital, Dharamshala… [the man] was declared dead”.

Local media has reported the injured man suffered rib injuries during his fall.

The Dhauladhar mountains form the middle section of the vast Himalayan mountain system in south-central Asia, which extends across parts of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan.