Sydney woman among eight climbers 'missing in Himalayas' after avalanche
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An Australian woman is missing on one of India’s highest peaks with experts fearing she and seven other members of an international expedition may have been killed in an avalanche.
A rescue team is trekking to Nanda Devi East in the Himalayas on foot and it’s hoped a helicopter will be able to drop in searchers on Sunday, but the climbing community is prepared for the bad news.
Sydney woman Ruth McCance is missing on the treacherous peak along with British team leader Martin Moran, three others from the United Kingdom, two men from the United States and an Indian liaison officer.
The eight adventurers were part of a 12-member expedition attempting to summit a previously unclimbed route up the 7434-metre Nanda Devi East.
“We always have hope but to be practical, we have to be prepared for bad news,” Indian Mountaineering Foundation spokesman Amid Chowdhury told AAP on Saturday.
The team trekked into the heart of the Nanda Devi sanctuary “with the ambition of summiting a virgin peak”, adventure company Moran Mountain said in a Facebook post on May 12.
The complete trip was expected to take about 24 days.
The company on 22 May wrote that the team had reached its second base camp at almost 5000 metres above sea level and “after a recce of the route, they will be making a summit attempt on an unclimbed peak at 6477m”.
The expedition’s British deputy leader, Mark Thomas, remained at the second base camp with three others, according to Mr Chowdhury, but was in radio contact with the group of eight that pushed higher.
But when Mr Thomas didn’t hear anything after 26 May, he went up to look for them.
He reportedly found a single unoccupied tent.
“Beyond that area, there was evidence of a large avalanche,” Mr Chowdhury said.
“For eight people, there should definitely have been more tents. I would expect at least three more tents to have been there.”
Satellite phones aren’t allowed in the border region because of security concerns so a team member was sent down to alert authorities, who were finally notified on Friday.
A rescue team of up to 20 people, including members of the Indian-Tibetan border police and the state disaster management force, left Munsiyari on Saturday morning local time, Mr Chowdhury said.
It will take them at least three days to reach the avalanche site, which is thought to be at 5200 metres.
Poor weather has made it impossible to send a helicopter closer to the site but it’s hoped two rescue mountaineers may be flown in on Sunday.
Australia’s foreign affairs department said on Saturday it was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who “may be among a group of trekkers missing in the Nanda Devi area of India”.
Article source: http://smh.com.au/sport/basketball/melbourne-united-forward-tai-wesley-surges-into-key-role-ahead-of-nbl-opener-20171004-gyu71d.html
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