The bodies of five Russian climbers have been retrieved from Mt. Dhaulagiri today. The bodies were taken to the base camp in the morning using a human long-line rescue operation and subsequently airlifted to Kathmandu in the afternoon by an Altitude helicopter.
The bodies have been sent to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Five Russian climbers, Alexander Dusheyko, Oleg Kruglov, Vladimir Chistikov, Mikhail Nosenko, and Dmitrii Shpilevoi had gone missing since 6th October 2024 while attempting an alpine-style climb of Mt. Dhaulagiri. They were confirmed dead on 8th October 2024. The bodies were located at an altitude of 6,900m by a rescue helicopter.
Due to bad weather conditions, previous retrieval missions were unsuccessful. However, this morning, an experienced rescue team, including Capt. Bibek Khakda, long-line rescue specialist Mr. Dawa Phinjo Bhote, Lokendra Dhami, and Lhakpa Bhote, successfully retrieved the bodies of these Russian climbers.
This search and evacuation flight was conducted by Senior Pilot Mr. Bibek Khadka at an altitude of 7,000 meters. Capt. Khadka is the chief pilot and instructor at Altitude Air Pvt. Ltd.
This retrieval mission was coordinated by Mr. Mingma Sherpa, the first Nepali to complete all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. He is also an advisor to the Nepal Mountaineering Association.