Indian mountain climber rescued after falling into crevasse

News

By Olivia Land

April 20, 2023 | 8:02am

An Indian mountain climber is in critical condition after falling almost 1,000 feet down a crevasse on the world’s 10th-highest mountain and surviving there for three days.

Anurag Maloo, 34, was found alive by rescuers on Thursday after going missing on Nepal’s Mount Annapurna, a representative for his family told The Post.

Maloo went missing on Monday when he fell down a crevasse near Camp Three at around 19,600-foot elevation, the BBC reported.

He was subsequently found about 984 feet down the crevasse by a rescue team that included several Sherpas and Polish climber Adam Bielecki, Tribune India said.

Transport to Kathmandu was prohibited due to severe weather, so Maloo was airlifted to Pokhara’s Manipal Hospital.

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

A photo of Maloo in the hospital shared by Sky News shows the climber receiving chest compressions from doctors.

Before his rescue, Maloo’s other brother, Aashish, had launched an online petition urging the Indian and Nepalese governments to expand the search efforts.

Amit Chowdhury, a board member of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), explained to the BBC that the crevasse’s conditions likely helped keep Maloo alive. 

“A crevasse is warmer and well protected from wind. So if he was not badly injured, it’s not unusual that he survived in a crevasse,” he noted.

At the time of his fall, Maloo was on a mission to raise awareness for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by climbing all 14 mountains above 26,246 feet and scaling the highest peaks on all seven continents, the outlet said.

Last year, he successfully climbed one of the eastern Himalayan mountains in Nepal.

Annapurna, however, is considered an especially risky trek because of its avalanche-prone conditions. Renowned Irish climber Noel Hanna perished at Camp Four this week, and fellow Indian mountaineer Baljeet Kaur and her companions had to be rescued from the peak after falling ill.

Spring marks the beginning of mountaineering season in Nepal, as extreme athletes and tourists from around the world attempt to summit some of the world’s most treacherous mountains. According to Sky News, three Sherpas remain missing after tumbling down a crevasse on Mount Everest last week.