By The New York Times (World News) | Created at 2024-10-07 07:30:06 | Updated at 2024-10-07 09:29:27
2 hours ago
Asia Pacific|Climbers Are Rescued After Three Nights at 20,000 Feet
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/07/world/asia/climbers-rescued-india-mountain.html
The two women, one American and one British, became stranded on a Himalayan mountain when their food and equipment fell into a ravine, Indian officials said.
Oct. 7, 2024, 3:19 a.m. ET
Two climbers, one American and one British, were rescued from a Himalayan mountain after being stranded for three nights at nearly 20,000 feet, Indian officials said.
The climbers, Michelle Dvorak and Fay Manners, were rescued on Sunday after an earlier attempt failed, according to a statement from the government of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The women used a pager on Thursday to alert that they were stranded on the Chaukhamba III mountain in Uttarakhand, saying that their luggage, which included food and equipment essential for the climb, had fallen into a ravine.
“Without these, they could neither go up nor come down,” the Uttarakhand government statement said.
Ms. Manners, who is British, told the newspaper The Telegraph that a falling rock had severed the rope they were using to haul their luggage behind them, sending it tumbling into the ravine.
The women were stranded at a height of about 6,015 meters, or 19,734 feet, according to the Uttarakhand government. At that altitude, about 980 meters below the mountain’s summit, the air is thin, the body begins to deteriorate and long-term survival is impossible, according to scientists.
The Indian Air Force deployed two helicopters on Friday but were unable to find the women, the Uttarakhand government said. Rescuers had to battle bad weather and extreme conditions, the air force said.
At the same time, the authorities began preparing to send climbers up Chaukhamba III to rescue Ms. Manners and Ms. Dvorak.
Meanwhile, the Indian Mountaineering Federation had contacted a French climbing team that was already on the mountain, and was able to reach them on Saturday evening, the Uttarakhand government said.
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The five French climbers shared their coordinates with the Indian authorities, who launched another helicopter rescue attempt on Sunday morning, the Uttarakhand government said. This time, rescuers located the two women and brought them to safety.
After their ordeal, Ms. Manners posted a photo of herself and Ms. Dvorak on Instagram, captioned, “We are back down and safe.”
Pragati K.B. contributed research.
