Nanda Devi: Bodies of 7 mountaineers brought down to Base Camp 2

ANI

Chamoli, Uttarakhand, IndiaUpdated: Jul 02, 2019, 09:17 PM IST

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According to the district administration, the bodies are being brought down by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to a location from where they can be airlifted.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Tuesday carried out a tough task to bring down the bodies of seven mountaineers from a height of 18,900 feet to the Nanda Devi Base Camp 2 at 17,000 feet.

The ITBP is trying to bring the bodies to Base Camp 1 at 15,250 feet. Earlier, an ITBP team had recovered the bodies of the climbers, who went missing on May 26 after being hit by an avalanche on way to the mountain peak.

The body of the eighth member of the team, however, could not be located due to bad weather.

According to the district administration, the bodies are being brought down by the ITBP to a location from where they can be airlifted.

"If the weather remains favourable, the bodies will reach the district headquarters in a day or two," Pithoragarh District Magistrate VK Jogdande said.

The bodies were found at an altitude of approximately 21,000 feet. The mountaineers were on an expedition to Nanda Devi East peak.

A 10-member team of ITBP dug out the seven bodies, including that of a woman climber, from under the snow.

The team had launched `Operation Daredevil` for the missing group of mountaineers - 4 British, 2 Americans, and 1 each from India and Australia.

Standing at a height of 25,643 feet, Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and 23rd highest overall.