The bodies of five climbers who lost their lives while attempting to summit Dhaulagiri Mountain have yet to be recovered, even after a week since their deaths. The climbers, all from Russia, were found at an altitude of 7,100 meters, but efforts to retrieve their bodies have been hindered by adverse weather conditions and challenging terrain, according to Bharat Shrestha, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Myagdi District Police Office.
“The bodies were located in an area where helicopters cannot land, and access on foot is impossible,” Shrestha stated. “Attempts to recover the bodies have been unsuccessful due to poor weather and difficult geography.” Helicopters dispatched on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday returned empty without being able to land. Saturday was a public holiday (Dashain), and on Sunday, fog obstructed helicopter flights.
The trekking company associated with the climbers has reported plans to send a rescue team by helicopter on Monday, should weather conditions permit. The climbers had lost contact since Ashwin 21 at 11 AM, when they were at an altitude of 7,600 meters. Police identified the deceased climbers as Alexander Dusheyko, Oleg Kruglov, Vladimir Chistikov, Mikhail Nosenko, and Dmitrii Shpilevoi.
The Russian expedition was organized through “I’m Trekking and Expedition,” and included 14 male climbers. Nine of them decided to turn back before reaching the summit. Dhaulagiri, standing at 8,167 meters, is the seventh-highest mountain in the world and is located in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-4 of Myagdi. According to the tourism department, only 14 Russian climbers were granted permission to attempt the ascent during this autumn season.
Source: RSS
