The expedition to Mt. Trishul was very important to him: the wife of a naval officer has been missing from the avalanche since October 1st

This naval expedition is very important to him, Shubhani Tewari, the wife of Lt-Commander Shashank Tewari, told India Today on Monday.

A full month has passed since Lt Commander Shashank Tewari of the Indian Navy went missing on Mount Trishul in Uttarakhand. Tewari (30) was part of a mountaineering expedition that was hit by an avalanche near the top of the 7,120-meter-high summit on the morning of October 1st.

The remains of four fellow climbers – commanders Rajnikant Yadav, Yogesh Tiwari, Anand Kukreti and JCO Hari Om – were recovered the next day.

READ: Three French climbers go missing in Nepal after an avalanche hit Mount Everest

However, the relentless search and rescue efforts to track down Lt. Commander Shashank Tewari and a Sherpa accompanying the expedition have not yielded any results. A vice admiral is now reportedly overseeing the effort.

Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, Lt Commander Shashank Tewari’s wife, Shubani Tewari, said she was first informed about her husband’s expedition which caught an avalanche on October 1st.

File photo of Shubhani and Shashank Tewari | Credits: Shubhani Tewari

“The search lasted until October 15 or 16. On October 2, we were informed that the remains of three commanders and a sailor had been recovered and that Shashank and the concierge (Sherpa) were missing,” Shubhani said.

“The avalanche report could not be processed”

When asked how the family is doing, Shubhani Tewari told India Today that her husband, Shashank, was his parents’ only child.

“When you get such information about an excellent naval officer and his other colleagues whom I know personally, I have not been able to process it. I couldn’t even tell his parents about the news. “She added.

Shubhani continues, “I was hoping he would be found that day. When we received the information that the remains of four others had been found and that Shashank was not one of them, it was heartbreaking.”

Photo of Mount Trishul in Uttarakhand | India today

The trauma of families who lost loved ones (on the expedition) has still not subsided, Shubhani told India Today TV.

“This naval expedition was very important to him as no naval expedition was organized last year due to Corona and since it was a naval expedition he wanted to do his best,” added Shubhani Tewari.

“Any kind of closure. We just want Shashank. That’s the only thing the family looks forward to. As a Marine, I know how the Navy works and what exactly the Defense Forces ethos is, always seen and heard from Shashank that the Navy or any other arm of the Defense Forces never leaves a man behind. This time, too, they have to stand by it, “said Shubhani Tewari.