Two Indian climbers die on Mount Kanchenjunga in Nepal
Kathmandu: Two Indian climbers have died in Nepal due to altitude ailments after one of them successfully scaled Mount Kanchenjunga, the world's third tallest peak, an official said Thursday.
Biplab Baidya (48) and Kuntal Karar (46) died Wednesday night above Camp IV after they were unable to continue their descent from near the 8,586-meter summit due to hypothermia and snowblindness.
"Biplab made it successfully to the summit point while Kuntal fell sick on his way. The Indian duo died while climbing down from the peak," Mira Acharaya, a staffer at Nepal's Ministry of Tourism team deployed at the base camp, told PTI.
According to fellow climbers, the incident occurred when the duo were being brought to Camp IV from an altitude of 8,400 metres through a herculean rescue operation carried out by Project Possible team leader Nirmal 'Nims' Purja along with the fellow members.
"Later, they succumbed to high altitude sicknesses," Pasang Sherpa, Manager at Peak Promotion Pvt Ltd told The Himalayan Times.
They were part of a five-member team of climbers from West Bengal, Sherpa said.
"Two Indian climbers and a German mountaineer who also suffered from serious frostbite will be evacuated from the high altitude camp as early as possible," he said.
Another climber from Chile is missing from above Camp IV of Mount Kanchenjunga since last evening.
Rodrigo Vivanco from Chile went missing on the descent after he reportedly made it to the summit late on Wednesday, Sherpa said, adding that a team has already left for Camp IV to conduct a search operation.
Mount Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. It rises with an elevation of 8,586 metres in a section of the Himalayas called Kangchenjunga Himal delimited in the west by the Tamur River, in the north by the Lhonak Chu and Jongsang La, and in the east by the Teesta River.
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Finland's President Stubb kicks off 4-day visit to India; trade, innovation top agenda
New Delhi (PTI): Finnish President Alexander Stubb began a four-day visit to India on Wednesday to bolster bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas, including trade, investment and critical technology.
Stubb will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday following which the two sides are expected to firm up a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to boost cooperation in a number of sectors.
The crisis in West Asia is likely to figure prominently in the meeting.
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"The visit will further strengthen the relations between Finland and India, including in the area of trade," Stubb said before leaving for New Delhi.
The Finnish president will grace as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Raisina Dialogue on Thursday evening.
Stubb was accorded a warm welcome at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.
"India and Finland share a warm and friendly relationship rooted in shared democratic values. President Stubb's visit will impart further energy to India-Finland relations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.
The Finnish president is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.
Stubb's visit to India comes weeks after Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo travelled to New Delhi for the AI Impact Summit.
The Finnish president will also meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan.
Stubb will travel to Mumbai on Friday where he is scheduled to meet several business leaders. The Finnish leader will conclude his visit on Saturday.
