Russian climbers dead on Dhaulagiri: Bodies of five victims found by Nepalese rescuers
|Five Russian climbers die on Dhaulagiri. MAXPPP – NARENDRA SHRESTHA
Nepalese rescuers have recovered the frozen bodies of five Russian climbers who died last week in the Himalayas while climbing Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh highest peak, an official said on Wednesday.
“The five bodies were recovered using a long rescue line and brought back to the base camp (…) They are now being transported to Kathmandu”, said Nima Nuru Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
The bodies “were discovered by a rescue team” last week, according to the tourism department. Bad weather has delayed efforts to recover the bodies lying on an icy slope about 7,000 metres above sea level on Dhaulagiri.
Read also: “Five bodies found by helicopter rescue team” : Five Russian climbers found dead on Dhaulagiri
Dangerous operation
The rescue was carried out by a buddy team, a dangerous operation used only when the terrain is too difficult for a helicopter to land, with a specialized rescuer attached to a rope. The rope team, which was climbing the 8,167-meter-high peak, had not given any sign of life since October 6.
A sixth climber, who had turned back before the accident, was rescued and was hospitalized in Kathmandu. Fatal mountain accidents are common in Nepal, whose eight peaks over 8,000 meters attract climbers from around the world. In 2023, such accidents had caused 18 deaths, a record.