KATHMANDU, April 18 (PTI): Baljeet Kaur, a 27-year-old leading Indian woman climber was found alive on Tuesday, a day after she went missing near Camp IV of Mt Annapurna while descending from the summit point, an official of the expedition organiser said.
An aerial search team located Kaur, who scaled the world’s 10th highest peak without using supplemental oxygen on Monday, above Camp IV, Chairman at Pioneer Adventure Pasang Sherpa, was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times newspaper.
“We are preparing to conduct a long-line rescue to airlift her from above the high camp,” he said.
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Kaur has been seen descending alone towards Camp IV by the aerial search team, according to Sherpa.
The leading Indian woman climber, who was left alone below the summit point, remained out of radio contact till this morning, the report added.
An aerial search mission was initiated on Tuesday morning only after she managed to send a radio signal asking for ‘immediate help’.
According to Sherpa, her GPS location has indicated an altitude of 7,375m (24,193ft). She climbed Mt Annapurna along with two Sherpa guides at around 5:15 pm on Monday. At least three helicopters were mobilised to trace her.
In May last year, Kaur, from Himachal Pradesh scaled Mt Lhotse and became the first Indian climber to have climbed four 8000-meter peaks in a single season.
On Monday, Anurag Malu, a resident of Kishangarh in Rajasthan, went missing while descending from Camp III of Mt. Annapurna.
Later, it was found that Malu died after falling from 6,000m into a crevasse while descending from Camp IV on Monday, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.
According to Mingma Sherpa, chairman at Seven Summit Treks, Noel Hanna, the first person from Ireland to reach the summit of K2 during the winter season, breathed his last in Camp IV last night. Efforts are underway to bring their bodies back to base camp, organisers said.
Annapurna is the tenth-highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,091 metres above sea level.
It is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its ascent.
