ITBP's efforts to retrieve dead bodies of mountaineers from Nanda Devi East peak hampered due to adverse weather conditions

Uttarakhand: The acclimatisation process of 20 Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) mountaineers, who have been sent to retrieve the bodies of eight mountaineers, including an Indian, who all went missing while they were on an expedition to a Nanda Devi East peak on 26 May, has been hampered due to bad weather condition. The ITBP mountaineers are currently positioned at the Nanda Devi base camp as their movement has been restricted by unpleasant climate. [caption id=“attachment_6824201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Nanda Devi. ANI[/caption] The attempt to rescue the trapped mountaineers from Nanda Devi East has been named Operation Daredevil. A joint operation was conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF), ITBP and other local agencies on 14 June. Pithoragarh District Information Officer had earlier said, “On 15 June, an additional team of ITBP will be leaving Nanda Devi East. Additional equipment and necessary material will be made available to them at the Nanda Devi East base camp.” Four porters plus pieces of equipment will be sent to the team as soon as the weather condition improves. The bad weather not only hampered the movement of the mountaineering team but also of the IAF choppers. Standing at a height of 7,816 metres, Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the twenty-third highest in the world.