Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have called off their high altitude recovery operation ‘Daredevil’ of eight missing mountaineers after handing over seven bodies to district administration Pithoragarh. The team will not be carrying out further research for the recovery of eighth mountaineer’s body. Two of the bodies have been identified as male Indian climber and another as female Australian climber. The seven bodies have been sent to Haldwani post-mortem house, where necessary formalities are being done.
Pithoragarh District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande said, “The bodies have been sent to Haldwani for post-mortem and other procedures. We have identified two out of seven bodies. The respective embassies have been intimated and they will be sending their representatives to collect the bodies.”
Director General of ITBP, SS Deshwal said, “ITBP mountaineers did one of the most difficult body retrieval missions. The team tried to search for the eighth body also but due to terrain, altitude and weather limitations the same could not be found.”
Official spokesman of ITBP, Vivek Pandey said, “With the help of MI-17 of Indian Air force helicopter the bodies of seven mountaineers were carried to ITBP camp in Munsyari from base camp I and then were handed over to Pithoragarh administration.”
It is pertinent to mention here that 12 mountaineers attempted to climb Nanda Devi peak from east side in Pithoragarh district from May 13. The district administration received an email from Indian Mountaineering Foundation stating that eight of their mountaineers were missing since May 26. The remaining four mountaineers among the 12 were then Air lifted from Nanda Devi East base camp on June 1. Among the eight missing mountaineers four were from United Kingdom, two from USA and one each from India and Australia. The bodies were traced at an altitude of 18,000 feet.