Irish Climber Dies, Indian Missing on Nepal’s Annapurna

KATHMANDU, Nepal—An Irish climber has died and an Indian is missing after falling into a crevasse in two separate incidents on Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain, an expedition organizer said Tuesday.

Another Indian climber fell ill on the way down from the 8,091-meter (26,540-foot) summit but miraculously survived after spending the night in harsh conditions on the mountain.

Irish climber Noel Hanna, 56, died Monday while returning from the summit, Thaneswar Guragai of Kathmandu-based Seven Summit Treks said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

His body was carried down the mountain and taken to Kathmandu, the capital, Guragai said.

Indian climber Anurag Maloo fell into a crevasse on the same mountain on Monday, Guragai said. A search is continuing for him.

Another Indian, Baljeet Kaur, reached the summit on Monday but became exhausted and fell ill on the way down because she was not using any supplemental bottled oxygen, said Pasang Sherpa of Pioneer Adventure, who outfitted the expedition and organized a rescue effort.

He said Kaur spent the night on the mountain before she was able to make contact and was rescued by a helicopter.

She was taken to a hospital in Kathmandu, where she walked from the ambulance to the hospital building with the help of a nurse.

The popular spring mountaineering season has just begun in the Himalayas in Nepal and hundreds of climbers have begun climbing the highest peaks.

Three Sherpa guides have been missing since last week, when they fell into a crevasse on a treacherous section of Mount Everest just above base camp on the world’s highest mountain. The crevasse is estimated to be about 50 meters (160 feet) deep.

By Binaj Gurubacharya