KATHMANDU, JANUARY 17 Search and rescue teams are scouring Mount Makalu's upper slopes for an Iranian mountaineer who vanished during descent, while a Sherpa climber's body has been located at 7,500 meters following Thursday's winter ascent of the world's fifth-highest peak. The dual tragedy struck after four climbers successfully reached Makalu's 8,485-meter summit Thursday morning, turning what should have been a celebration of winter mountaineering into a desperate rescue operation. Rescue teams deployed 8K Expeditions deployed four experienced Sherpa rescuers-Ashok Lama, Pasdawa Sherpa, Ang Chhiring Sherpa, and Pasang Tenji Sherpa-to Base Camp on Saturday morning in a voluntary mission to recover the deceased climber and search for the missing Iranian alpinist. 'We decided to launch this operation to help fellow climbers facing difficult times on Makalu,' said Lakpa Sherpa, Managing Director of 8K Expeditions. Makalu Adventure, the expedition's organizing agency, has also dispatched a search team equipped with additional oxygen, rope, and emergency supplies. Managing Director Mohan Lamsal confirmed the company is coordinating recovery efforts from Base Camp. Tragic descent The incidents occurred during what appeared to be a routine descent from the summit. Phurba Ongel Sherpa fell to his death from above Camp IV, while Iranian climber Abolfazl Gozali disappeared somewhere between Camp IV and Camp III. Record-holding mountaineer Sanu Sherpa, who was the expedition leader and also the part of the four-member summit team along with Gozali, Phurba Ongel, and Lakpa Rinji Sherpa, provided details of the harrowing events. According to the reports, all four climbers reached the summit around the same time Thursday and began their descent together. Phurba Ongel and Lakpa Rinji moved ahead of Sanu and Gozali by several meters. Sanu said he saw Lakpa Rinji crying below and asked what had happened, to which Rinji replied that Phurba Ongel had fallen. According to Sanu, he and Lakpa Rinji immediately began searching for Phurba Ongel, while asking Gozali to remain where he was. However, Gozali chose to descend slowly on his own. Sanu reported that after about an hour of searching, they found Phurba Ongel's body at an altitude of around 7,500 metres. With daylight fading, they descended to Camp III expecting Gozali to be there, but a Sherpa guide reported not seeing him. He was not at Camp II or Base Camp either. Communication lost According to Sanu, Gozali was last spotted crossing a relatively straightforward section of route below Camp IV. 'The route was not considered difficult,' Sanu said, adding that Gozali's communication devices are now non-functional. Sanu, who safely reached Base Camp, is now coordinating with the rescue teams. 'We will try to find him and also recover Phurba Ongel's body with help from 8K Expeditions' Sherpa climbers,' he said. Pemba Sherpa, Chairman of 8K Expeditions, confirmed the team's dual mission: locating Gozali and retrieving Phurba Ongel's remains from the mountain. Winter mountaineering risks The tragedy underscores the extreme dangers of winter climbing on 8,000-meter peaks, where brutal cold, fierce winds, and shortened daylight hours dramatically increase risk. Makalu, straddling the Nepal-Tibet border, sees far fewer winter attempts than its more famous neighbor, Mount Everest. Search operations are proceeding urgently as weather conditions at high altitude remain unpredictable and can deteriorate rapidly, further complicating rescue efforts. The mountaineering community now awaits news from the search teams working in one of Earth's most unforgiving environments.