Five Russian climbers who went missing while attempting to scale Mount Dhaulagiri in Nepal have been found dead, their hiking company reported on Tuesday. The climbers, who were tackling the world’s seventh-highest peak without Sherpa guides, had not been heard from since reaching 7,700 meters (25,262 ft) on Sunday night.
A search and rescue helicopter located the bodies at around 7,600 meters (24,934 ft). According to Pemba Jangbu Sherpa, a senior official from the logistics company assisting the climbers, it is believed that the group was tied to the same rope, and one may have slipped, causing all five to fall.
The team’s sixth member, who was too exhausted to continue, has been evacuated to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.
Mountain climbing is a significant source of tourism and employment in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains.
Melissa Enoch
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