Dhaulagiri mishap: Bodies of five Russian climbers still unrecovered

Myagdi, October 13 — The bodies of five climbers who lost their lives during the ascent of Dhaulagiri mountain have still not been recovered after a week.

The bodies of the five Russian climbers were found at an altitude of 7,100 meters, but retrieving them has proven difficult due to adverse weather conditions and challenging geography. Bharat Shrestha, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Myagdi District Police Office, informed that attempts to bring the bodies down from Dhaulagiri have been unsuccessful.

"There were five bodies found in a location where helicopters cannot land and where it is difficult for people to reach," he said. "Due to the bad weather and challenging terrain, our efforts to collect and retrieve the bodies from the site have not succeeded."

Helicopters that went to recover the bodies on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday returned empty. On Saturday, the helicopter could not operate due to the Dashain festival, and on Sunday (today), mist obscured the mountains, preventing the helicopter from flying.

According to Shrestha, the relevant trekking company plans to send a rescue team by helicopter on Monday (tomorrow), weather permitting.

The climbers had gone to the base camp to attempt the Dhaulagiri ascent, but they lost contact at 11 a.m. on October 7 from an altitude of 7,600 meters. The bodies of the Russian nationals—Alexander Dushko, Oleg Kurgalov, Vladislav Chistikov, Mikhail Nosecnko, and Dmitry Shalilev—were found on October 9.

Fourteen male climbers from Russia had gone for the Dhaulagiri ascent through 'I AM Trekking and Expedition.' Nine of them turned back and canceled their climb midway. Dhaulagiri, the seventh-highest mountain in the world at 8,167 meters, is located in Myagdi District, in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-4. According to the Tourism Department, only 14 Russians have obtained permission to attempt Dhaulagiri this autumn.