Himachal Pradesh police on Wednesday found two bodies in the Billing Valley, where they allegedly died after slipping and falling into the snow. Officials said their pet dog guarded them for nearly two days.

Two tourists, including a woman, went missing on Sunday. Rescue teams searching for the duo heard German shepherds barking on Tuesday, news agencies reported. PTI As the police said.

They added that following the sound, police found the body lying on the side of a walking track, three kilometers from the paragliding take-off point.

According to police, the dog, named Alpha, guarded the carcasses, which showed signs of wild animal attacks, for nearly two days.

When the rescue team removed the body, the dog accompanied them on foot to Bir, where the deceased’s family took him, police said, adding that the deceased was identified as Abhinandan Gupta, 30 ), a resident of Pathankot, was sent to Bir by his family. On Sunday afternoon, Pranita Wala (26), a friend from Pune, arrived at Birbilin, a famous paragliding destination in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

The two arrived in a private car along with Gupta’s dog. After parking the car, they walked to the paraglider takeoff point.

When both did not return to Chogan near Bir, their friends informed the police on Monday, following which rescue teams launched a search operation and recovered the bodies on Tuesday.

Kangra ASP Veer Bahadur said preliminary investigation revealed that the man and the woman slipped and fell in the snow, were injured and died due to extreme cold.

He said post-mortem reports would reveal the circumstances of their deaths.

Police said Gupta had been living in a rented house near Birjogan for the past five years and the girl had come to Bir only a few days ago.

(with PTI input)

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)