The bodies of five climbers who went missing nine months ago on Nepal’s Yalung Ri peak have been recovered after seasonal snow melted in the area, an expedition agency said Monday.
The bodies were discovered at an altitude of about 5,400 metres (17,717 feet) in the Rolwaling region, according to Dreamers Destination Treks and Expedition.
The climbers—three foreigners and two Nepalis—disappeared in November last year after an avalanche struck their expedition team.
Two other members of the group had previously been found dead, while five climbers were rescued alive following the avalanche.
The five whose bodies were recently recovered were identified as Marco Di Marcello of Canada, Markus Kirchler of Italy, Jakob Schreiber of Germany, Padam Tamang and Mere Karki.
Phurba Tenjing Sherpa, a rescuer and chief operating officer of Dreamers’ Dream Expedition, said the bodies of the foreign climbers would be handed over to their families after autopsies are completed in Kathmandu.
The recovery brings an end to a nine-month search for the missing climbers, whose whereabouts had remained unknown since the deadly avalanche struck the group on the Himalayan peak.
Authorities and rescue teams continue to face significant challenges operating in Nepal’s high-altitude mountain regions, where extreme weather and heavy snowfall can make recovery operations extremely difficult.
