Sunday, 29 Sep 2024

Video reveals last moments of Himalayan climbers

Indian authorities have released a video showing the final moments of a team of climbers whose bodies were recovered in the Himalayas.

The clip shows four Britons, two Americans, an Australian and an Indian slowly making their way up an unnamed peak in sunny weather, officials said.

The group was attempting to climb India’s second-highest peak Nanda Devi when contact was lost on 26 May.

Seven bodies were recovered but Briton Martin Moran remains missing.

The 1 minute 55 second clip released by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Monday shows the eight climbers roped together as they take steps up an unnamed peak.

The camera with the footage was found buried in snow near the area where the bodies were eventually recovered in June, media reports said.

Last visuals of the mountaineers' team near the summit on unnamed peak near the #NandaDevi east. ITBP search team of mountaineers found the memory video device at 19K ft while they were searching the area where bodies were spotted. pic.twitter.com/0BI87MEA8Y

End of Twitter post by @ITBP_official

According to ITBP spokesman Vivek Kumar Pandey, the group’s weight could have caused a snow ledge they were on to give away, “triggering an avalanche”.

The clip is now being used to help “analyse what went wrong with their mission”.

“The GoPro was proved to be like the black box of an aircraft giving an insight into the last few moments of the climbers, ITBP deputy inspector general A.P.S. Nambadia said at a press briefing.

“It was mesmerising for us to see the footage”.

The group began their ascent on 13 May, led by experienced British mountain guide Martin Moran whose Scotland-based company, Moran Mountain, has run numerous expeditions in the Indian Himalayas.

He led a group consisting of: John McLaren, Rupert Whewell and University of York lecturer Richard Payne from the UK; US nationals Anthony Sudekum and Ronald Beimel; Australian Ruth McCance; and Indian guide Chetan Pandey.

Source: Read Full Article

Related Posts