Bodies Of Seven Climbers Who Went Missing In The Himalayas Recovered

The bodies of seven international climbers have been recovered in the Indian Himalayas. The climbers were from a group of eight people — two Americans, four Britons, an Australian and one Indian — who had been struck by an avalanche in the Himalayas, late last month. Rescue teams are on the lookout for the eighth.

A rescue team had spotted the bodies earlier this month but was not able to retrieve them due to bad weather conditions. The BBC said a helicopter failed multiple times to drop rescuers on the peak. Magistrate V.K. Jogdande from Pittorgarh District told CBS News that a paramilitary force had tried to recover the bodies. Jogdande said the bodies were found under snow and are being kept in a temporary camp to allow rescuers to bring them down one by one over the next couple of days.

Reports said the mountaineers went missing in a ridge between two glaciers at an altitude of 5,380 meters near Nanda Devi, India’s second highest peak, on May 26. The group, led by Martin Moran, a British mountain expert who ran Moran Mountain, was attempting to reach the top of an unclimbed peak in a secluded area. According to Metro, the Moran family had explained that the group had set out to attempt an unclimbed, unnamed summit - Peak 6477 m.

Indian authorities have maintained that the group of climbers was ‘not given permission’ to scale the peak. Nanda Devi peak is notorious for its treacherous terrain. Reuters says that the peaks in the 2,400 kilometer long range are among some of the world’s tallest and most dangerous. The range attracks thousands of mountaineers and adventure seekers from all over the world to risk their lives. Moreover, the Nanda Devi and Nanda Devi East are regarded as the world’s most challenging peaks and have only been scaled by a handful of people.