The bodies of five Russian climbers who lost their lives during an expedition on Mt. Dhaulagiri have been recovered and flown to Kathmandu today. The climbers were found deceased at an altitude of 7,100 meters. Deputy Superintendent of Police Bharat Shrestha, head of the District Police Office in Myagdi, confirmed that the bodies were transported to Kathmandu via helicopter.
A team of Sherpas, led by Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, retrieved the bodies from the mountain and brought them to the Italian Base Camp. From there, the remains were sent to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu.
The climbers had set out to summit Dhaulagiri and had camped at high altitudes for the ascent. However, they went missing from an altitude of 7,600 meters on October 7 at 11 a.m. local time. The bodies of Alexander Dusheyko, Oleg Kruglov, Vladimir Chistikov, Mikhail Nosenko, and Dmitrii Shpilevoi were discovered on October 9, according to police reports.
Due to severe weather conditions and the challenging terrain, it took time to recover the bodies. The rescue team had to hang from a helicopter to reach the location where the bodies were found, as both helicopter landing and on-foot access were impossible.
The Russian climbers were part of a 14-member expedition organized by I.M. Trekking and Expedition. Out of the group, two climbers successfully reached the summit, while seven others abandoned the climb midway and returned.
An earlier attempt to recover the bodies had failed when the helicopter returned empty due to adverse conditions. Dhaulagiri, the world’s seventh-highest peak at 8,167 meters, is located in the Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-4 of Myagdi District. According to the Department of Tourism, this autumn season, 14 Russian climbers had obtained permits to scale Dhaulagiri.
The tragic incident underscores the extreme risks associated with high-altitude climbing, particularly on one of the world’s most challenging peaks.
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