KATHMANDU: Rescuers have retrieved the bodies of two Indian climbers who died on Mount Everest last year but whose remains could not be moved due to bad weather, an official said today.
A team of Nepali climbers retrieved the bodies of Goutam Ghosh and Paresh Nath from the balcony, an area just below the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain.
“Both the bodies are now in camp two in a place from where they can be airlifted. We are working out the logistics to bring them to Kathmandu,” Sayeed Ahmeed Baba, an Indian official coordinating the operation, said
Nath’s body was found last year but bad weather forced rescuers to abandon attempts to retrieve it. Ghosh’s remains were only located this year by other climbers on the mountain.
“His body (Ghosh) was covered in snow and ice, so the team had to cut the ice to reach the body,” Baba said.
Both bodies were found above 8,000 metres — an altitude that marks the beginning of the “death zone” notorious for its difficult terrain and thin air as low oxygen levels heighten the risk of altitude sickness. (AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
