Baljeet Kaur, a 27-year-old Indian woman climber, was found alive on Tuesday (18) after being reported missing near Camp IV of Mt Annapurna while descending from the summit.
She had successfully climbed the world’s 10th-highest peak without supplemental oxygen the day before.
Aerial search teams located her above Camp IV and preparations are being made for a long-line rescue to airlift her from above the high camp.
Kaur was seen descending alone towards Camp IV and remained out of radio contact until the morning (18) when she was found.
According to Pasang Sherpa, an official from the expedition organiser, an aerial search was launched on Tuesday morning after Baljeet Kaur sent a radio signal asking for “immediate help.”
Sherpa also stated that Kaur’s GPS location indicated she was at an altitude of 7,375m (24,193ft) above sea level.
Kaur reached the summit of Mt Annapurna on Monday with two Sherpa guides at around 5:15 pm. Three helicopters were mobilised to search for her.
Last year in May, she became the first Indian climber to scale four 8000-metre peaks in a single season, including Mt Lhotse.
Anurag Malu, a resident of Kishangarh in Rajasthan, fell into a crevasse and died while descending from Camp IV on Mt. Annapurna on Monday (17). In addition, Noel Hanna, the first Irish person to reach the summit of K2 during the winter season, died at Camp IV last night (17).
Efforts are underway to bring their bodies back to base camp.
Mt. Annapurna is known for its difficulty and danger in ascent and is the tenth-highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,091 meters above sea level.
(With inputs from PTI)
