Two European climbers have been evacuated from Mount Annapurna after being stranded near the summit for two nights, officials said.
Tim Bogdanov of Sweden and Giampaolo Corona of Italy were airlifted from separate spots around camp IV ( 7000m) early Saturday, according to Bhisma Bhattarai, an official with the Department of Tourism.
“They have suffered some frostbites but are in normal health,” Bhattarai, who is also a liaison officer for Annapurna, told Everest chronicle from the base camp.
Both climbers are likely to be brought to Kathmandu later today for further medical treatment.
The duo were doing an alpine-style climb without bottled oxygen and Sherpa guide, and went missing for several hours after they were last seen descending from the summit on Thursday afternoon.
A helicopter arranged by Seven Summit Treks carried out the aerial search of the peak and located them around Camp IV on Friday .
Bogdanov’s status was kept secret until evacuation although several media outlets including the Chronicle had reported about Corona’s status.
The 8,091-meter (26,545-foot) Annapurna is the 10th tallest mountain in the world. Nearly two dozen climbers and Sherpa guides have successfully climbed the peak so far this year.
