Indian climber Anurag Maloo found alive in critical condition 3 days after he went missing on Nepal's Mount Annapurna

PTI

Kathmandu, April 20

Indian climber Anurag Maloo, who went missing on Monday after falling into a deep crevasse on Nepal’s Mount Annapurna, has been found alive in critical condition by rescuers, his brother said on Thursday.

Anurag, 34, a resident of Kishangarh in Rajasthan, went missing on Monday after he fell from around 6,000 metres while descending from Camp III. Mount Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world.

“He is found alive. He has been taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he is still alive,” Sudhir Maloo, his brother, said.

“We will have to shift our focus towards the medical side now,” Sudhir added.

The rescue team that went looking for him in the crevasse he had fallen into has found and rescued him, according to Sudhir. 

Seven Summit Treks confirmed Anurag had been found alive by seven Nepali climbers some 300 meters down into a crevasse, Myrepublica news portal reported.

He has been airlifted to Pokhara’s Manipal Hospital, the report said.

“His health is very critical. Doctors are looking after him,” said Thaneswar Guragain, the general manager of Seven Summit Treks.

A team of six Sherpa climbers led by Chhang Dawa conducted a ground search and found him in some 300m deep crevasse on Thursday morning, said Mingma Sherpa, Chairman at Seven Summit Treks.

Renowned Polish climber Adam Bielecki and his friend also joined the ground search and rescue team to locate Anurag. “His condition is very critical,” hospital sources confirmed, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.

Angela Benavides, a sports journalist, on her Twitter handle wrote: “The rescue team included 9 Nepalese climbers and the two Polish alpinists. According to reports, 3 Nepalese and one Polish climber got into the crevasse and found (Anurag) Maloo showing some sign of life. Then the rest of the Sherpa team pulled them out.”    “The team operated in quickly worsening weather, at one of the most dangerous spots of the mountain, with frequent avalanches,” she wrote.

Evacuation to Kathmandu was not an option due to bad weather but pilots managed to airlift Anurag to Manipal Hospital in Pohkara, she added.

Meanwhile, Kishangarh MLA Suresh Tak said he was in constant touch with the Maloo family. He also went to meet his father Omprakash and other family members on Thursday.

The family members of climber Anurag heaved a sigh of relief as soon as they got to know about his rescue.

They said that Anurag has got a new life. However, they are still worried due to his critical condition.

A family member said that Anurag graduated from IIT Delhi in 2010.

Anurag is on a mission to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres and the seven highest points in all seven continents to create awareness and drive action towards achieving the UN Global Goals.

He has been awarded REX Karam- Veer Chakra and became the 2041 Antarctic Youth Ambassador from India. 

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