Five bodies found in hunt for eight missing climbers in Himalayas

An Indian official has said air force pilots have spotted five bodies while searching for eight missing climbers – including four Britons – in the Himalayas.

They were seen just before a rescue operation was suspended due to heavy snowfall and high winds, said Vijay Kumar Jogdanda, a civil administrator in Pithoragarh district in northern India’s Uttarakhand state.

He said the search to find the remaining three missing climbers would resume on Tuesday, and added that officials were consulting the Indian army on how to retrieve the bodies.

The group was attempting to reach the summit of India’s second-highest peak Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand.

The missing Britons have been named locally as group leader Martin Moran, John McLaren, Rupert Whewell and Richard Payne.

Other members who disappeared on the expedition include US nationals Anthony Sudekum and Ronald Beimel, Australian Ruth McCance, and Indian guide Chetan Pandey.

Two Indian air force helicopters and a rescue team have been searching the region for the group since the climbers failed to return to their base camp on Friday night.

Nigel Vardy, a mountaineer who has known Mr Moran for 20 years, told Sky News his friend is a “top of the range” climber, but added avalanches can catch even the most experienced climbers unawares.

Mr Moran’s family released a statement on Saturday saying they were “deeply saddened” by the unfolding incident.

They added: “As a family, we share the same emotions that all next of kin are experiencing in not knowing the whereabouts or well-being of those closest to us.”

The University of York confirmed that one of its lecturers – Dr Richard Payne – travelled to the Himalayas.

“We remain extremely concerned for his safety and our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time,” the university said in a statement.

Moran Mountain, which ran the expedition, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that it was working with authorities and the British Association of Mountain Guides to gather information about the expedition’s fate.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are in contact with the Indian authorities following reports that a number of British nationals are missing in the Indian Himalayas.

“We will do all we can to assist any British people who need our help.”

The climbers, who began their ascent of Nanda Devi on 13 May, went missing on the Indian side of the Himalayas near the end of a climbing season during which there have been several fatalities.

At least nine people have died on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest this year, making it the deadliest climbing season on the peak since 2015.

(c) Sky News 2019: Five bodies found in hunt for eight missing climbers in Himalayas