Missing Indian climber found dead on Mount Everest

A 58-year-old Indian mountaineer, who went missing on Mount Everest nearly a week ago, was on Friday found dead while attempts were being made to locate another Indian climber whose body was reportedly lying above 8,000 metres on the world’s highest mountain.

According to Wangchu Sherpa, the managing director at Trekking Camp Nepal that managed the expedition, a team of six Sherpas retrieved the body of Paresh Chandra Nath above the Camp IV.

His body is being brought to the Camp II, Mr Sherpa said. However, they could not move ahead from the higher camp to locate another missing climber Goutam Ghosh whose body was also reportedly lying above 8,000 metres on the high mountain. “High wind forced the rescuers to descend from the Camp IV after locating Paresh Nath’s body,” he said.

Other climbers who made it to summit early this week are reported to have seen the body of Ghosh. Nath and Ghosh were near the summit of the 8,848-metre peak last Saturday when they lost contact with the rest of the four-member team, all of whom were Indians.

Meanwhile, a rescue helicopter brought the body of Australian climber Maria Strydom from Mount Everest to Kath-mandu on Friday, a week after she died. Strydom, 34, was nearing the 8,850-metre summit when she fell ill with altitude sickness and had to turn back. She died last Saturday. “Her body has now been brought to Kathmandu from the mountain,” said Phu Te-nzi Sherpa of the Seven Summit Treks that organised her expedition. Strydom’s husband, Robert Gropel, who was in her team was airlifted to Kathmandu early this week. Arnold Coster, who led the expedition, said Seven Summit Treks was as prepared as any.

The Dutch mountaineer said he had personally selected climbers, and Strydom and Gropel had three experienced Sherpas between them.

Mr Gropel said the pair began their summit bid on Friday night in clear weather, departing from Camp 4, but at the South Summit at nearly 8,000 metres, Strydom slowed, stricken by altitude sickness.

Mr Gropel also began to suffer from a lack of oxygen, hampering his thought processes.

“It took a while for me to register that I had medication, and so as soon as I realised I gave her a dexamethasone injection,” Mr Gropel told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

With the medication and more oxygen brought up by Sherpas, Strydom improved and was making her way down. She then suddenly collapsed and could not be revived.