British tourist dies after trekking in hazardous terrain near Thathri in northern India
A British tourist has died in northern India after he and another British trekker were rescued from hazardous terrain.
According to the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), its Kangra Unit received a rescue request from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on February 16 regarding an injured British tourist and his friend.
Although the victims have not been formally identified, the SDRF named the deceased trekker as Howard Thomas Harry, who was critically injured and was later pronounced dead. His friend, Robert John, was unharmed.
The force said in a post on X: “The SDRF rescued UK tourists Howard Thomas Harry and Robert John from challenging terrain near Thathri, Dharamshala, on February 16-17, 2025. While Robert was unharmed, Howard, in critical condition, was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.”
A 10-person rescue team was deployed at 6.30pm and began their trek from Thathri Power Project. After reaching Dritto Café, they were informed that the victims were located 4km further uphill in extremely difficult terrain.
After four hours of trekking, the team located the victims at 10.30pm, finding one of the trekkers in critical condition. "They secured the critical trekker onto a stretcher and began the challenging descent along with his co-trekker," the force said.
According to The Times of India, the two British men had arrived in Dharamshala on February 14 and set off on a trek from Dharamkot to Triund on Sunday. During their descent toward Thathri, one of them reportedly fell after crossing Triund, sustaining serious injuries.
The report also noted that local authorities had banned high-altitude trekking in winter, a rule the two British tourists were reportedly unaware of.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office confirmed they were providing support to the family of the deceased. "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in India and are in contact with the local authorities."