Taplejung: Five people including three foreign climbers are feared dead after they slipped in the snow while climbing down Mt Kanchenjunga. However, it is yet to be confirmed officially.
According to the Mingma Sherpa, the proprietor of the Seven Summit Trekking Agency, there were two Hungarians, two Koreans and five Nepali climbers in the expedition team. “We are unable to send rescue team to the accident spot due to the bad weather,” Sherpa said.
Sherpa said that they were preparing to send local Sherpas to the site on foot for the rescue operation but later they dropped the idea thinking that it might put rescuers themselves at risk.
He also informed that the expedition team was climbing down after ascending the 8586 meter high Mt Kanchenjunga on May 20. They reportedly met with the accident while they were near 4th camp in the mountain.
Sherpa suspected that the climbers might have slipped and died in the snow due to the high winds and bad weather at around 7,000 meters. The expedition team had left Kathmandu for the mountain on April 2.
“Two expedition teams from my agency had gone to the summit the mountain. All except five have returned safely. They also informed me that they had seen five bodies on the mountain while they were returning,” said Sherpa. Sherpa further informed that only two Nepali climbers have been identified among the five dead.
The two Nepali climbers-Dibas Gurung and Fu Dorji Sherpa of Sankhuwasabha-were among the dead.
Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council (KCAMC) said that it has received the information about the accident but yet to confirm it independently. Even police said that it was yet to glean full information on the incident.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Govinda Prasad Acharya at the District Police Office Taplejung said that they have unconfirmed reports about the incident. The District Police Office said the communication devices were not working due to bad weather so the office has been unable to contact the police station nearest to the accident spot.
Source: Republica
