34-year-old Indian awardee climber goes missing from Mt. Annapurna in Nepal

A 34-year-old Indian climber went missing from Mt. Annapurna in Nepal on Monday, stated an official of the expedition organiser. 

The person identified as Anurag Malu, a resident of Kishangadh in Rajasthan, went missing while coming down from Camp III of Mt. Annapurna, and has been missing since Monday morning, said Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Seven Summit Treks, who organised the trekking expedition.

Nepal | An Indian climber, Anurag Maloo, 34, has gone missing below the Camp III of Annapurna Mountain in Nepal. The search operation is on. He fell into a crevasse while returning from Camp IV this afternoon: Mingma Sherpa, Seven Summit Treks to ANI

— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2023

According to reports, Malu is on a mission to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000m and seven summits to create awareness about the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sherpa said, "We had launched an extensive search for Malu shortly after he went missing. However, till evening we have not succeeded in locating him."

He added, "We will continue the search on Tuesday.”

Malu awarded REX KaramVeer Chakra

The missing person was also awarded REX KaramVeer Chakra and became the 2041 Antarctic Youth Ambassador from India, according to local media reports. 

Notably, Annapurna is the tenth-highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,091 meters above sea level and it is also known for its complexity and danger.

3 Sherpas went missing on Mt Everest last week

Last week on Wednesday, three Sherpas were also buried on Mt Everest.

The three guides got buried after a huge ice sheet of more than 50 meters tumbled down the mountain, below Camp 1 at 5,700 meters, according to the officials. 

(With inputs from PTI)