Nepal: According to an expedition organiser, there were two separate incidents on Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain, resulting in the death of a renowned Irish climber and the disappearance of an Indian climber who fell into a crevasse.

Mr. Thaneswar Guragai, a representative of Kathmandu-based Seven Summit Treks, has reported that Mr. Anurag Maloo, a 34-year-old Indian climber, fell into a crevasse on Mount Annapurna on 17th April 2023. As of 18th April 2023, a search operation is ongoing to find him.

Following her descent from the 8,091-metre (26,545 ft) summit, Ms.  Baljeet Kaur, another Indian climber, fell ill but managed to survive after spending a night in adverse mountain conditions. Mr. Noel Hanna, a 56-year-old Irish climber, passed away on 17th April 2023 while descending from the summit of Mount Annapurna, as per Guragai. The cause of his death is not yet known.

Mr. Guragai reported that Mr. Hanna’s body was retrieved and transported down from the mountain to Kathmandu, the capital. Mr. Hanna had successfully climbed Mount Everest 10 times and had also reached the highest peaks of all seven continents.

Back in 2006, Mr. Hanna accomplished the feat of climbing the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, and then embarked on a two-week long bicycle ride from the base camp of the mountain’s route to the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, covering a distance of over a thousand miles. Being avalanche-prone and technically challenging, Mount Annapurna, the world’s tenth-highest mountain, has a higher fatality rate as compared to Mount Everest.

Ms. Pasang Sherpa, the organizer of the expedition and representative of Pioneer Adventure, reported that Ms. Kaur, a 28-year-old Indian climber, successfully reached the summit of Mount Annapurna on 17th April 2023. However, on her way back, she became fatigued and fell ill as she did not use any supplemental bottled oxygen during her climb. Ms. Sherpa also mentioned that a rescue operation was carried out to assist her.

During the spring climbing season, when the weather is warm and the winds are usually calm, Nepal hosts hundreds of adventurers as it is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks. This season, the government has granted over 700 climbing permits for several Himalayan mountains, including 319 permits for Mount Everest.