Bodies spotted as search efforts continue for 8 climbers missing in the Indian Himalayas following an avalanche
An Indian airforce helicopter is seen leaving fro the Pithoragarh airport in India to search for for eight climbers including seven foreigners missing on India's second-highest mountain, the Nanda Devi Mountain. Sources in the military later said the team had spotted bodies on the route the group had taken.
Five bodies have been spotted in the area where a group of climbers went missing while climbing in the region of Nanda Devi, India's second tallest mountain.
British mountain guide Martin Moran, who runs a tour company called Moran Mountain, led the team out on the arduous journey beginning on May 13.
The group was scheduled to come back to base camp on Friday, May 31, but failed to return, according to BBC News.
Four additional climbers were with the group that set out on May 13, but they returned to base camp after experiencing harsh weather conditions. All four have been airlifted to safety.
Search efforts to find the remaining eight climbers began on Saturday, but harsh weather conditions forced the operation to be called off during the evening hours, BBC News reported. Officials stated that an avalanche had occurred on the mountain and may have swept up the team.
(Photo/Lysogor/Getty Image)
The operation resumed on Sunday morning, with the Indian Air Force deploying two helicopters to aid in the search. However, the operation was suspended later that day due to unfavorable conditions, BBC News reported. The helicopter teams spotted evidence of an avalanche in the area the group was attempting to climb.
“Chances of survival are bleak,” Vijay Kumar Jogdanda, the top civil servant in the Pithoragarh district of India’s state of Uttarakhand, said via Reuters.
He added that tents were spotted during the initial aerial search, but no humans have been found.
Another aerial search involving the Indian Air Force took place on Monday over an uncharted section of the Himalayan mountain, according to CNN. The search team took photographs that appear to show five different bodies scattered across the area impacted by a recent avalanche.
Efforts have shifted to making a plan for how to reach the area where the bodies have been spotted.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said that search crews may have to contend with rain and snow showers across the higher elevations during the first half of this week.
"There may also be occasional periods when the summits will be in and out of the clouds," he said.
"This is usually the drier time of the year across the region, which is why it is considered the best time to try to summit these mountains," Douty added.
Two Americans are among the group, which also consists of four people from the United Kingdom, one Australian and one Indian.
"We stand ready to provide appropriate assistance to U.S. citizens in need, and to their families," a U.S. State Department official told CBS News.
Moran Mountain released a statement saying they were "working with authorities and the British Association of Mountain Guides to gather information regarding the Nanda Devi East expedition team."
"Out of respect for those involved and their families, we will be making no further comments at this time," the company stated.
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