KATHMANDU, APRIL 18
At least five climbers were evacuated from the high camps of Mt Annapurna after they complained of mountain illness while descending from the world's tenth-highest peak.
According to expedition organizers, Indian woman climber Baljeet Kaur, who went missing above Camp IV on Mt Annapurna, has been rescued alive from 7,363m. "She has suffered from frostbite and is now being rushed to CIWEC Hospital from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu," Pasang Sherpa, Chairman at Pioneer Adventure, said.
Pakistani climbers Shehroze Kashif, Naila Kiani and Indian climber Arjun Vajpai were evacuated from Camp IV after they fell ill while descending from the summit point, said Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Expedition Director at Seven Summit Treks. Base camp sources said that Nepal Army Captain Suman Panday, who suffered from snow blindness at Camp III, has also been evacuated to Kathmandu this afternoon. Panday scaled Annapurna yesterday being a leader of the Annapurna clean-up expedition.
The body of Irish climber Noel Hanna has also been brought to Kathmandu from Camp IV. The 10-time Everest summiteer from Northern Ireland breathed his last at Camp IV after he returned from the summit point last night.
Altitude Air, Kailash Helicopter, Heli Everest and Simirik Helicopter were used for search and rescue missions, according to the Department of Tourism. Climbers are being taken to different medical facilities including CIWEC, Grande and Era Hospital.
Meanwhile, a team of five Sherpa climbers has been conducting a ground search for missing climber Anurag Maloo. "Sherpa climbers are now trying to locate Anurag, who went missing after he fell down from around 6,000m into a deep crevasse while descending from Camp III yesterday," Sherpa said, adding that an aerial search was also conducted yesterday to trace the climber.
