ITBP deploys highly-trained officials to search for missing mountaineers

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with the support of district administration of Pithoragarh on Thursday deployed its mountaineers at the Nanda Devi East base camp through a land route to carry out search operations for the eight missing mountaineers.

The team of highly-trained mountaineers will approach towards the base camp and will try to reach to the site where the equipment and other items were reportedly seen near the unnamed peak near Nanda Devi East, ITBP said in a statement.

The team which comprised of eight mountaineers -- seven foreigners and one Indian -- were reported missing while they were on an expedition to an unnamed peak on May 26.

An earlier airborne search operation was not successful due to high altitude and weather reasons.

The ITBP team is expected to reach the base camp in a week and after required acclimatisation, it will try to reach the spot where the mountaineers were last spotted.

It will be a very challenging mission as the site is located at about 20,000 feet. Air support will also be taken for logistics in the course of operation.