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Bengal

Two Bengal mountaineers still missing on Mount Everest

A special rescue team from West Bengal had reached Kathmandu on Tuesday morning and engaged six sherpas to trace the two mountaineers and also to bring back the body of Subhash Pal, another climber who was declared dead on Monday. 

The rescue operations could not be started on Tuesday due to the inclement weather. A special team comprising senior officials of the state youth affairs department and former mountaineers reached Kathmandu on Monday. The body Rajib Bhattacharya, who went on an expedition to Dhaulagiri, is yet to be recovered.  

According to a senior official of the department, the Sherpas who were accompanying the mountaineers did not return to the base camp. Attempts were also made to contact the members of the rescue operations. Due to an inclement weather the rescue operations is being hit. The sherpas, who have been engaged by the special rescue team of the government, will start their journey to the Everest on Wednesday morning. 

The body of Pal is believed to have been lying near camp number 4. Subhash, a mountaineer from Bengal who went on an expedition to Mount Everest died after he had collapsed while descending the Hillary Step ice wall. 

If everything goes as per plan, the Pal’s body could be brought to Kathmandu by May 27. Another team of sherpas will start their journey to find the two missing mountaineers Goutam Ghosh and Paresh Nath who went missing while climbing the summit. 

Officials said Sunita Hazra had been rescued and brought to a hospital in Kathmandu. She is currently undergoing treatment. She had suffered from frost bites.  Sunita Hazra, who was also accompanying the expedition team, had been rescued and taken to Kathmandu in a helicopter. 

Expedition officials contacted with Sunita Hazra on Sunday and helped her to descend to Camp 3, but the remaining three climbers — Subhash, Goutam and Paresh went missing at different staged of their expedition. Subhash has been declared dead but his body has not been rescued till Tuesday evening. Subhash collapsed while descending after he successfully scaled the Everest.   

Youth affairs department had formed the special team following the instruction of Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister in designate. Control rooms were also opened. 

It may be mentioned that on last Saturday, another four-member team from West Bengal headed by climber Moloy Mukherjee successfully scaled the Mount Everest. In 2015, Mukherjee had tried to climb the Everest but due to earth quake in Nepal he could not fulfill his aim. Family members of the missing climbers are spending sleepless nights. 

Senior officials of the state Youth Affairs department is keeping touch with their family members and making them aware of the status of the rescue operations. 

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