Myagdi, Oct 16: The bodies of five Russian climbers who lost their lives while attempting to ascend the Mt Dhaulagiri have been collected and sent to Kathmandu today. Their bodies were found at an altitude of 7,100 meters and sent back to Kathmandu, police official Bharat Shrestha in Myagdi said.
A team of Sherpas led by Mingma Sherpa, the operator of Seven Summit Treks, reached the mountain by helicopter to retrieve the bodies and brought them down to the Italian Base Camp. From there, the bodies were sent to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, according to Pranav Shrestha.
The climbers had lost contact since October 7 at 11 AM while they were at an altitude of 7,600 meters after setting up camp for the ascent. According to the police, the bodies of the Russian national —Alexander Dusheko, Oleg Kurgalov, Vlamimir Chistikov, Mikhail Noseenko, and Dmitry Shalilev — were discovered on October 9.
The collection of the bodies was delayed due to adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain, which made it impossible for helicopters to land or for people to reach the site on foot. Rescuers had to lower themselves by rope from the helicopter to reach the location of the bodies.
A total of 14 Russian male climbers had gone to attempt the ascent of Dhaulagiri through IAM Trekking and Expedition. Two of them became successful, while seven others abandoned the climb and returned midway.
Previously, a helicopter sent to retrieve the bodies returned empty. Dhaulagiri, standing at 8,167 meters, is the seventh highest mountain in the world and is located in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-4 in Myagdi. According to the tourism department, only 14 Russians have obtained permits to attempt Dhaulagiri this autumn season.
