Climber Chhanda Gayen goes missing

Noted mountaineer Chhanda Gayen who is the first Bengali civilian woman to scale Mount Everest went missing along with two sherpas on Tuesday while attempting to climb the 8,505-metre-high dangerous Kangchenjunga West, popularly known as Yalung Kang. Reportedly y the group was caught in an avalanche while returning back.

 According to the reports, after successfully scaling the 8,585-metre high Kanchenjunga Main on May 18 along with three mountaineers Tusi Das, Dipankar Ghosh and Rajib Bhattacharjee, Chhanda and two sherpas went on to scale the Yalung Kang on Tuesday.

Talking to PTI Pasang Futar, a veteran Sherpa said, “We received information from Kathmandu that Dawa and Pemba along with Chhanda are missing after being caught in an avalanche beyond the Camp three area while coming down from the summit of Kanchenjunga West on Tuesday”.

Senior mountaineer Basanta Singha Roy said, “Kanchenjunga West is a very difficult climb as the region is very avalanche-prone. It was really risky and I categorically told Chhanda not attempt the peak during the same expedition. But she said it was her dream to scale that one too.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced all necessary assistance to the climbers. She had spoken to External Affairs Ministry and Nepal Government to conduct search operation. However the bad weather is preventing the operation team to continue the search.

“We have also communicated with our counterparts in Nepal. They have sent helicopters for the search already,” State Youth Minister Arup Biswas told reporters.

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