KATHMANDU (AFP) - – Rescuers on Monday called off their search for a Nepalese mountaineer who had climbed Mount Everest 19 times, accepting he had died after being swept away by an avalanche in the Himalayas two days ago.
Chhewang Nima Sherpa, 43, was fixing ropes for a climbing group high on the 7,129 metre (23,400 foot) Mount Baruntse on Saturday when the avalanche hit as one of his colleagues looked on.
"We have decided to abort the rescue operation. There is no way we can find him. We have concluded that he is dead," Jeeban Ghimire, managing director of Sherpa Shangri-La Treks, which organised the expedition, told AFP.
"It's impossible to get to him. The area where we believe he was swept into is a rough icy slope that is inaccessible. It's a sad decision and a sad day for us."
Ghimire said that a second sherpa, who was working with Chhewang when the avalanche hit at a height of about 7,045 metres, had reported to base camp that Chhewang was missing.
"Chhewang's brother was one of the rescue team in the search helicopter," Ghimire said. "He is also a climber and he saw the place and decided it was right to end the search. The family believe he is dead."
Ghimire said they had spent six hours in the air looking for the body.
Other members of the expedition included six British climbers and one American.
Chhewang was one ascent away from equalling the world record of reaching the Mount Everest summit 20 times, which is held by Apa Sherpa.
He was due to climb Everest twice in the spring next year to claim Apa's record, which was set in May.
Chhewang, a father of two daughters, climbed Everest twice earlier this year and had also climbed many of the Himalayas' other highest peaks.
Baruntse, in eastern Nepal, was first climbed by a New Zealand expedition in 1954, one year after the 8,848-metre Everest peak was first conquered.
Zimba Zangbu Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, described Chhewang as a "dear and daring" climber.
"He was one of the most accomplished and experienced Sherpa guides," Zimba said. "He was young and energetic, and looking forward to beating the world record of Apa Sherpa."
Last month, an avalanche on Mount Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas killed three Japanese climbers and a sherpa guide. Only the dead body of one Japanese climber has been recovered. Read more at http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101025/tap-nepal-mountaineering-accident-2a5be5e.html P.S : I apologise for the unclear photo. :)
Chhewang Nima Sherpa, 43, was fixing ropes for a climbing group high on the 7,129 metre (23,400 foot) Mount Baruntse on Saturday when the avalanche hit as one of his colleagues looked on.
"We have decided to abort the rescue operation. There is no way we can find him. We have concluded that he is dead," Jeeban Ghimire, managing director of Sherpa Shangri-La Treks, which organised the expedition, told AFP.
"It's impossible to get to him. The area where we believe he was swept into is a rough icy slope that is inaccessible. It's a sad decision and a sad day for us."
Ghimire said that a second sherpa, who was working with Chhewang when the avalanche hit at a height of about 7,045 metres, had reported to base camp that Chhewang was missing.
"Chhewang's brother was one of the rescue team in the search helicopter," Ghimire said. "He is also a climber and he saw the place and decided it was right to end the search. The family believe he is dead."
Ghimire said they had spent six hours in the air looking for the body.
Other members of the expedition included six British climbers and one American.
Chhewang was one ascent away from equalling the world record of reaching the Mount Everest summit 20 times, which is held by Apa Sherpa.
He was due to climb Everest twice in the spring next year to claim Apa's record, which was set in May.
Chhewang, a father of two daughters, climbed Everest twice earlier this year and had also climbed many of the Himalayas' other highest peaks.
Baruntse, in eastern Nepal, was first climbed by a New Zealand expedition in 1954, one year after the 8,848-metre Everest peak was first conquered.
Zimba Zangbu Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, described Chhewang as a "dear and daring" climber.
"He was one of the most accomplished and experienced Sherpa guides," Zimba said. "He was young and energetic, and looking forward to beating the world record of Apa Sherpa."
Last month, an avalanche on Mount Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas killed three Japanese climbers and a sherpa guide. Only the dead body of one Japanese climber has been recovered. Read more at http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101025/tap-nepal-mountaineering-accident-2a5be5e.html P.S : I apologise for the unclear photo. :)
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