Efforts underway to bring remains of Odisha's first woman mountaineer

The state government is working in close coordination with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to bring back the mortal remains of Odisha's first woman mountaineer, Kalpana Dash, who died while descending from world's highest peak.

"The Embassy informed the department late in the evening that the Search and Rescue operation will be launched tonight, on May 24, through a professional local agency, whereby a group of at least 10 Sherpas will be climbing Mt Everest to retrieve the body of Ms Dash. Currently, the body is near to the peak of Mt Everest at a location called Balcony at a height of 8600m," Department of Sports and Youth Services said in a press release.

Indian Embassy in Kathmandu also informed the Odisha government that Mt Everest will be closed for this season by May 27 and all efforts are being made to bring the body within the deadline.

"Apart from Dash, two other Indian climbers also died and efforts are on to retrieve their mortal remains as well. Once the body is brought to Base camp and then to Kathmandu, the government will facilitate the travel of family members to bring back the mortal remains of Dash to Bhubaneswar," the statement further read.

After the incident on May 23, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took to the micro-blogging website and said: "Saddened to learn about the demise of Kalpana Dash while descending from Mt Everest. Her legacy in mountaineering will inspire generations of young women in the state. My condolences to the bereaved family."

A Mumbai-based climber, identified as Anjali S Kulkarni, too breathed her last above the Camp IV of Mount Everest at an altitude of 7,906 metres. Thupden Sherpa, an official at Arun Treks expedition company informed that Kulkarni had successfully made it to the summit with her husband on Wednesday morning. "We are trying to retrieve her body," she added.

Another Indian, Dipankar Ghosh, an ace Indian mountaineer had reportedly gone missing on Nepal's mount Makalu last week.

"We are carrying out the search operation of the missing climber in Mount Makalu in coordination with local agents here," an official from the Indian Mission in Nepal had told ANI.

Hundreds of climbers every year attempt to scale the high Himalayan peaks during the popular spring climbing season in Nepal that begins in March and ends in May.