ITBP finds 7 of 8 mountaineers' bodies near Nanda Devi

Chandigarh, June 23

 

Indo-Tibetan Border Force have found what they believe are bodies of seven of eight climbers who went missing near Nanda Devi peak last month, PTI quoted an official as saying on Sunday.

 

A 10-member ITBP team dug out the seven bodies, including that of a woman mountaineer, from under the snow, Deputy Inspector General APD Nimbadia said.

 

Search continues for one other body. 

 

Air Force helicopters also assisted in the operation—named 'Daredevil'—which had begun a week ago 

 

The team of eight, mostly foreign, climbers went missing during their summit last month. The climbing team was led by well-known British mountaineer Martin Moran, who had already scaled the 7,434-metre-high peak twice before. 

 

Britons John McLaren, Richard Payne and Rupert Havel; Ruth Macrain, an Australian; Americans Anthony Sudekum and Rachel Bimmel (US); and Chetan Pandey, a liaison officer from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation were the others on the team.

 

The mountaineers had left Munsyari on May 13 to scale the peak in Pithoragarh district, but did not come back to the base camp on May 25, the appointed date of return. 

 

As families of the climbers pushed for action, Indian authorities reportedly claimed that the mountaineers were trying to climb an unscaled peak without permission.  

 

Nanda Devi is one of India’s most treacherous peaks, with very few having successfully scaled it. The limited success could also be attributed to Indian authorties' strict regulation of climbing missions, because it is held sacred by locals and also to protect the area's fragile ecosystem. Some press reports quoted Indian authorities as saying that the climbers had been allowed only to Nanda Devi East, and that they had no permission to scale the peak they were trying to summit.    

 

Meanwhile, avalanches in the already dangerous area had impeded search operations. Agencies

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