Anurag Maloo: Indian climber who fell in Nepal crevasse found alive

An Indian climber who went missing after falling into a crevasse on Mount Annapurna in Nepal has been found alive.

Anurag Maloo, who went missing on Monday, was found in a critical condition by rescuers.

Two other Indian climbers were rescued on Tuesday, while an Irish climber died while descending Annapurna.

It is the 10th highest mountain in the world and is known for its treacherous terrain.

Mr Maloo is currently seeking treatment at Manipal Hospital in Pokhara city, a sherpa from Seven Summit Treks – a mountaineering company that led the search operation – told India’s ANI news agency.

Amit Chowdhury, a board member at the UIAA – the international mountaineering and climbing federation based in Switzerland – told the BBC that it was possible for climbers to survive after falling into a crevasse.

“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 said.

A resident of Rajasthan state, Mr Maloo, went missing at around 6,000m (19,600ft) while descending from a camp.

“While coming down, he slipped and fell into a crevasse between Camp III and Camp II,” his father Om Prakash told Indian Express newspaper.

Hi brother, Aashish, had launched an online petition urging the Indian and Nepalese governments to send a special rescue team that “is trained to operate in such risky terrain” to find Mr Maloo.

“A team of sherpas have started the search operation but that’s not enough at the moment,” the petition said.

Last year, Mr Maloo successfully climbed a mountain in the eastern Himalayan range in Nepal. He was on a mission to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000m and scale the world’s seven summits – the highest mountains in each continent – to create awareness about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

On Tuesday, authorities rescued climber Baljeet Kaur and four other climbers from the high camps of the mountain.

In November, Ms Kaur became the first Indian woman to summit Mount Manaslu in Nepal without using oxygen.