At an altitude of 7000 meters

Dead climbers recovered by helicopter in Nepal

A Nepalese mountain rescue helicopter on the Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas(Bild: APA/AFP)

Nepalese rescue workers have recovered the bodies of five Russian mountaineers at an altitude of around 7000 meters. The rescuers were lowered with ropes from a helicopter, the authorities announced on Wednesday. 

The Russians had already died in an accident on October 6. The group had attempted to climb the seventh highest mountain in the world, the 8167-metre-high Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas.

Bodies retrieved from the mountain by rope
Bad weather delayed efforts to retrieve the bodies, which were lying on an icy slope at an altitude of around 7,000 meters. "The five bodies were retrieved from the mountain by rope rescue and brought to the base camp," said Nima Nuru Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. Rope rescue is a dangerous operation that is only carried out when the terrain prevents a helicopter from landing.

Here, one of the bodies from the Russian climbing group involved in the accident is being transported away.(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

A rapidly growing industry
Hundreds of people from all over the world travel to the Himalayas in Nepal every year during the fall climbing season. The climbers are an important source of income for the country. However, the rapid growth of the industry has raised fears that some tour operators are cutting back on safety.