‘Bodies of British climbers’ retrieved after avalanche in Himalayas
Written by News on 03/07/2019
The bodies of seven climbers, including several from the UK, have been airlifted from India’s second highest mountain after an avalanche.
They were found last month at an altitude of more than 5,000m (16,400ft) and have now been flown by an Indian air force helicopter to Pithoragarh, the largest town in the area, to be repatriated.
They died while trying to reach the top of an unclimbed peak on the Nanda Devi mountain in the Himalayas.
After a lengthy and dangerous operation by elite Indian mountaineers, the bodies were found roped together.
Vijay Jogdande, an administrator of Uttarakhand state, said: “The mission was extremely difficult considering the weather, avalanches and the elevation of the site where the bodies were.”
A total of eight climbers – four from Britain, two from the US, and one each from Australia and India – went missing on 31 May after they failed to return to their base camp near the mountain.
The body of the eighth person has not been found and the search has been suspended due to harsh weather.
Of the seven bodies which have been airlifted from the scene, only two have been identified – Chetan Pandey from the Indian mountaineering foundation and Ruth McCance from Australia.
The climbers in the group were Martin Moran, who led the mission, along with fellow Britons John McLaren, Rupert Whewell and Richard Payne, Americans Anthony Sudekum and Ronald Beimel, as well as Mr Pandey and Ms McCance.
Another four British climbers, who were also part of the 12-member expedition, were rescued after separating from the others.
Nigel Vardy, a mountaineer who has known Mr Moran for 20 years, described his friend as a “top of the range” climber who “knows the mountains, knows the area”.
He also told Sky News the pair had climbed together extensively, and Mr Moran was at “the top of his game”.
Nanda Devi and its sister mountain, Nanda Devi East, are among the world’s most challenging peaks and only a handful of people have climbed them.
The current climbing season in the Himalayas has been one of the deadliest for several years.
More than 20 people have been killed including at least 11 on Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, in Nepal, due to bad weather conditions, inexperienced climbers and overcrowding.
(c) Sky News 2019: ‘Bodies of British climbers’ retrieved after avalanche in Himalayas
