KATHMANDU, APRIL 13
Search efforts for the three Sherpa climbers, who went missing in the Khumbu icefall region after an avalanche took place between the Everest Base Camp and Camp I on Wednesday morning, have yielded no results so far.
According to Yuvraj Khatiwada, director of the mountaineering branch at the Department of Tourism, the search and rescue team dispatched at the incident scene have yet to yield results. "Search and rescue operation is still underway by a combined team of Imagine Nepal, Himalayan Rescue (HRA) Nepal and the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).
We will undergo discussions to further facilitate search operations before calling it off in case there is no progress," he said.
A helicopter of Simrik Air dispatched at the site of the accident to assist in the search operation has also not yielded any results despite continuous search from Wednesday morning due to bad weather, among other factors.
According to Yogesh Sapkota, marketing chief of Simrik Air, the three bodies are presumed to be covered by thick layers of snow, further affecting the search process of the missing Sherpas via air. "Use of RECCO equipment - a rescue technology used by rescue teams as an additional tool to more quickly locate people buried by an avalanche - have also not yielded any results. The site of the incident is covered with a huge pile of snow, hampering the search operation. An air search conducted today was unable to provide any additional information in the search and the chopper is still on standby for any further update on the search mission," Sapkota told The Himalayan Times.
The three missing climbers - identified as Da Chiri Sherpa, Pemba Tenzin Sherpa, and Lakpa Rita Sherpa - were carrying expedition logistics before they went missing at the Khumbu icefall section. According to local sources, the three climbers are residents of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality 5.
"With ongoing search and rescue operations underway for the missing climbers, the process of route fixing to the summit of Mt Sagarmatha will also continue. Further decisions will be made after holding discussions within the department," Khatiwada informed.
With the country preparing to mark the 70th anniversary of the successful ascent of Mt Sagarmatha this year, as many as 243 climbers have received permissions so far to climb the world's tallest peak this spring climbing season.
Among the permit recipients for Mt Sagarmatha, 41 are women while 202 are male. Of the total royalties collected this spring season, more than Rs 334 million was collected from issuing permits to climb Mt Sagarmatha alone.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 14, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
