GURGAON, June 25, 2013: They are aware that there is absolutely no chance of finding their loved ones but the 20 members of the search team from Hailey Mandi that is camping in Uttarakhand for the past week are not willing to return to the village empty-handed. The reason, according to them, is the villagers who are waiting for the 15 missing pilgrims will lose all hope. 

"The only reason why the villagers are still expecting a miracle is because we are still here in Dehradun and Rishikesh and are trying to locate the 15 people. Our relatives are constantly in touch with us and that is keeping their hopes alive. If we come back, their hopes will get dashed and we do not want that to happen," said Sunil Goyal, who is camping on the road outside Jollygrant Airport for the past several days, anticipating news about the missing villagers, who were last seen in Kedarnath. 

The authorities there have already said that Kedarnath and Gaurikund have been virtually cleared of all pilgrims, indicating that there is very little chance of there being any more survivors in these two places. 

"We all know that the chances of their survival are slim and now only a miracle can save them. However, we do not want to go back. While some of us are here in Dehradun, the rest of us are searching in other places like Rishikesh. Every time a helicopter lands at this airport or a bus reaches the place, we all rush towards it, with the hope of seeing at least one among the missing 15. So far we have not found anybody and with each passing day, our hope is fading," he said on Monday. 

Meanwhile, the villagers are still glued to their television sets, carefully scanning all the footage. "We want to appeal to all television channels to show all the victims who are still stranded at these places. This is the only way to know if our loved ones are among them. The search party that has gone from this village has not been able to locate anybody despite their best efforts. And till such time that these members are there, we will continue to keep hoping. We are still optimistic," says Pooja Singla, whose 11-year-old daughter is among the ones missing. 

On Monday, Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that 1,044 pilgrims from Haryana were still stranded in Uttrakhand, out of which 77 were from Gurgaon. 

Source: The Times of India, DT. June 25, 2013.