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A well-known South Korean mountaineer was among nine people killed when a violent snowstorm fell on their camp at Mount Nepal, Mount Gurja, officials said.
Police and residents are working to bring back the bodies of the mountain and to Kathmandu, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched Sunday around 7:15 pm, and at nine in the morning, the nine bodies were found, the ministry said. Some bodies were found Saturday.
The team of nine had disappeared since Friday, when officials lost contact with climbers. It was unclear how much progress they had made for the 23,300-foot Himalayan summit. No mountaineer has reached the summit, which is much less popular than Mount. Everest, in 22 years.
The death of these people was not very clear either, but the blizzard that hit their camp was particularly violent. Captain Siddartha Gurung, a helicopter pilot who coordinates the recovery mission, described a scene of utter destruction.
"The base camp looks like a bomb," added Dan Richards of Global Rescue, a US-based emergency assistance group that has been involved in recovery efforts.
Rock-star climber among the dead
In a Facebook post, South Korean President Moon Jae-in identified South Korean mountaineers as team leader Kim Chang-ho and team members Lee Jae-hoon, Yim He-jin, Yoo Young-jik and Jung Joon-mo. The four deceased Nepalese guides have not been identified.
"They were about to find a new route to Gurja Himal but had an accident," said the president.
The team embarked on a 45-day expedition to find a new route to Mt. Gurja on September 11, said Kim's representative agency, Eurasiatrek.
Yoo was in charge of the equipment, Lee was responsible for food and medical supplies and Yim was a documentary maker, said the agency. Jung "was visiting Kim to encourage the team's expedition, but was swept by the high winds," said Eurasiatrek.
"There are dangers in every area where humans are trying to push the boundaries. Nine mountaineers have been caught by a snowstorm forever, but their courage and untiring spirit demonstrated by their attempt to find a new route will not be buried with them, "said Moon's statement.
"As long as the challenges for the new roads continue, the souls of those who have become part of the mountain will remain forever in our hearts."
In 2016, the International Federation of Climbing and Mountaineering presented Kim with an Asian Piolets Award, or Golden Ice Ax. Awarded to excellence in mountaineering, these awards are known as the "Mountaineering Oscars".
Kim was honored to have led a team of three on a new road on the south face of Mt. Gangapurna, in the west of Annapurna, Nepalese region.
According to GlacierHub, an educational initiative to develop understanding of glaciers, only nine teams had managed to hold the Gangapurna summit since 1965.
While the climb was arduous in itself – with ice and rocks unstable, GlacierHub – the International Federation of Climbing and Mountaineering congratulated Kim's team for this climb without leaving any traces, gear and waste.
"Their climbing performances are excellent, but they did not leave anything on the mountain," said the federation.
After receiving the award, Kim had already climbed the 14 Himalayan giants – heights greater than 8,000 meters – without additional oxygen, the federation said.
Gurja is rarely at the top
Only 30 people reached the summit of Mt. Gurja, the last in 1996, according to the Himalayan database. Compare that to Mt. Everest, which has gathered more than 4,800 mountaineers, including many Sherpas who have managed this feat more than once. Everest is about 225 km to the east.
According to the Satori Adventures guide company, Gurja is the shortest peak in the massive Dhaulagiri range, home to the world's seventh highest peak and several peaks of more than 7,500 meters.
"The Gurja Himal expedition is suitable for climbers wishing to cross 7000m peaks in a less touristic area not interested in climbing cluttered peaks," says Satori Adventures website.
