When mountaineer Hemant Sachdev plunged into a crevasse on Mount Everest in 2013, he narrowly escaped death. The experience would go on to shape a mission that has transformed mountain rescue operations for India’s armed forces.
The Khumbu Icefall, one of the most dangerous sections of Everest, nearly claimed Sachdev’s life during his summit attempt in May 2013. Suspended over a deep crevasse by a single rope, he believed he had reached the end.
“In that moment, my entire life flashed before my eyes. All I could see was blood,” recalls the veteran climber.
His survival owed much to the vigilance of a fellow climber, an experienced mountain rescuer. Realising Sachdev had disappeared from view for more than a minute, the teammate retraced his steps, located him and pulled him to safety. The four-member expedition later went on to summit Everest.
The brush with death left a lasting impact. Two years later, news reports of soldiers buried under an avalanche in Siachen rekindled memories of his own rescue.
“I kept thinking that if I could be rescued on Mount Everest, why couldn’t these soldiers be?” Sachdev says. “Mountaineers climb for personal achievement. Soldiers are there because of duty.”
That question eventually led to the creation of Tiranga Mountain Rescue, a non-profit organisation established in 2016 to support the Indian Army in high-altitude rescue operations.
The idea initially met with scepticism. After all, the Army is often at the forefront of rescue operations across the country. But Sachdev believed specialist civilian mountain rescuers could complement military capabilities in some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain.
Nearly a decade later, Tiranga Mountain Rescue operates 16 teams across some of India’s most challenging high-altitude locations, including Siachen, Kargil, Tawang and Gurez, with 48 full-time professional rescuers.
Sachdev says the impact has been significant.
“Earlier, there used to be 40 to 50 deaths every year,” he says, referring to fatalities caused by avalanches, landslides and other non-combat hazards. “In the last three years, casualties have come down to zero.”
Beyond emergency response, the organisation focuses heavily on prevention. Rescue teams regularly assess vulnerable mountain routes, study weather patterns and train soldiers to minimise risk.
“Last season, we visited more than 400 posts to analyse routes, identify hazards and advise troops on safer movement,” Sachdev says.
When disasters do strike, speed often determines survival.
He recalls an avalanche in Tawang in 2022 that buried seven soldiers. After two days of unsuccessful search efforts, Tiranga Mountain Rescue was asked to assist in locating the missing personnel.
A helicopter flew the team to the site, and within hours of landing they had recovered the soldiers, providing long-awaited closure to their unit and families.
The organisation has also assisted in several major civilian rescue operations, including the Uttarakhand glacier disaster in 2021, the Wayanad landslides in 2024 and the avalanche that struck Zoji La Pass earlier this year.
In the Zoji La operation, 12 tourists trapped inside vehicles were rescued after an avalanche swept through the area, where seven other people had already lost their lives. Despite extreme cold, difficult terrain and rapidly changing weather, the rescue teams were able to reach those stranded.
For Sachdev, the philosophy that emerged from his own rescue on Everest continues to guide every mission.
“The most dangerous place in the mountains is only as dangerous as your ability to rescue,” he says.
