Dharamshala, Jan. 28 -- In a heart-wrenching end to a four-day search operation, rescue teams recovered the bodies of two cousins who went missing during a snowstorm in the Bharmaur region of Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district. Amid the tragedy, a touching tale of loyalty emerged as a pet dog, a pitbull, was found alive, guarding the body of a 13-year-old boy in the freezing wilderness. Viksit Rana, 19, and Piyush Kumar, 13, decided to trek towards hills from the Bharmani Mata Temple on January 22 to record videos. They were travelling with tents and Rana's pet. However, they were caught in heavy snowfall on January 23 and subsequently lost contact with their families. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams and IAF helicopters scoured the treacherous terrain from above for 96 hours, with little luck. The bodies were finally recovered on Monday. Himachal Pradesh's higher reaches received snowfall on January 23, and an orange alert of heavy snowfall was sounded in three districts, including Chamba. According to IMD, 4 cm snowfall was recorded in Bharmaur on January 23, and 26 cm snowfall the following day. Officials said they received the information on January 23 morning about the two missing teens. It is not clear when the two died. Rana had managed to contact the family members on January 23, and the last he spoke to them was at around 6pm that day. The administration was able to trace their location. Rescuers believe that the pet stayed with Piyush Kumar, whose body was found first, throughout. They found the dog guarding the body of Kumar. His body was found first and rescuers found the pet near him. Rana's body was not found at the same location. The search was hampered by extreme weather and high-altitude terrain. On January 25, aerial reconnaissance by an Indian Air Force helicopter and SDRF drones yielded no results. On January 26, SDRF split the search into helicopter and ground units. Five personnel and local guides were airdropped onto the Chutadiya peak, while the ground team advanced on foot through deep snow. The helicopter team spotted tents at 9.30am on Monday. Kumar's body was located at 10am and airlifted to the Chaurasi temple helipad, followed by the second victim at 1.35pm. According to officials, the pet initially showed some aggression when the rescuers found Kumar's body. However, they managed to calm the pitbull. "The rescuers first airlifted Kumar's body and did a second sortie to airlift the pet. We also called a vet to check the pet and it was found fine and was returned to the family members of Rana. There was another pet with the victims which remains untraced so far," said Bharmaur sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vikas Sharma. Pitbulls are good trackers, but heavy snowfall can hamper their sense of smell, making it difficult for them to track things. Bharmaur legislator Janak Raj said, "The pet belonged to Rana but was found near Kumar's body. Rana's father had passed away a year ago, and he was the sole support for his mother." Officials said the victims may have died due to hypothermia. However, a final medical report was awaited to ascertain the exact cause of deaths, they added. "Immediate assistance has been given to the bereaved families," Chamba deputy commissioner Mukesh Repaswal said....