Three climbers, including an Indian woman, who went missing two days ago after being swept aways by an avalanche while scaling Mount Kangchenjunga have been killed, Nepalese officials said today.
The deceased are identified as 35-years-old Chhanda Gayen from West Bengal, Temba Sherpa, 24, and Dawa Wangju Sherpa, 28, of Nepal, according to District Police Office.
Gayen, known for being the first civilian women from West Bengal to climb Mount Everest, had gone missing on Wednesday.
She had annexed the 8,585-metre high Kanchenjunga Main, the third tallest peak on May 18 along with three other city climbers Tusi Das, Dipankar Ghosh and Rajib Bhattacharjee.
According to reports available Tusi, Rajiv and Dipankar decided to return to the base camp after the summit, while Chhanda along with two Sherpas Dawa Wangchu Mingma Temba went on to climb the nearby Yalung Kang, also known as Kanchenjuga West.
"The weather deteriorated while the climbers were heading towards the fifth camp," the Republica quoted police as saying.
The mishap happened as they tried to descent to the fourth camp, it said.
According to a hotel entrepreneur Chhiring Sherpa, attempts are underway to dig out the dead bodies from the pile of snows.
