The body of an unidentified climber has been found by an ITBP mountaineering expedition team while they were on their way back after the successful scaling of 7,135 m-high Mount Mukut (East) in Uttarakhand recently.
"Force mountaineers retrieved a body from an altitude of 5,300 meters near camp II of Mt Mukut expedition. The body was found in a sleeping bag en route. It seems that the body is of a mountaineer or high altitude porter who may have been a part of an expedition team heading to summit the peak couple of years ago," an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force spokesperson said here.
He said a wallet with a photograph was recovered from near the body which may help in the identification and probably a final closure for the affected family.
"The body with all its belongings was handed over to the Uttarakhand Police. Carrying a body in harsh climatic and geographical conditions is always challenging but the ITBP mountaineers did it successfully," the spokesperson said.
The 25-member team of the mountain warfare-trained border guarding force made the summit on June 5 after it was flagged off for the task last month from here.
Mt Mukut East is located in the Mana valley in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.
The force, which has a deployment along the hilly and icy Sino-India border, has made a record over 200 successful mountain expeditions on various Indian peaks as also the world's highest Mount Everest.
