I’m safe, but have to trek for 4 more days to reach airport, says Bengaluru trekker

Kathmandu: Friends and family members of Praveen C.M. rejoiced after he was airlifted to the Everest Base Camp by a Canadian chopper on Monday morning. The 29-year-old mountaineer, a resident of J.P. Nagar in Bengaluru, was stuck at the Camp II of Everest, which is at a height of 6,000 metres, for the last two days.

On Sunday, he trekked for four hours along with 50 other mountaineers and reached Camp I, which is again another five-hour walk from the Base Camp. But the path between these two camps has been shut off after a major avalanche that hit the Base Camp killing 22 people. The authorities are still searching for those who went missing at the Base Camp after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck. Air rescue was the only option, but that too could not be carried out till Monday morning due to inclement weather.

Mr Praveen spoke to his family members and officials at the Department of Youth Services and Sports around noon on Monday. “It was great news for all of us. He is safe at the base camp. He is physically and mentally fit, and is as capable as ever. He will make his way down the mountain soon,” said an official from the Department

Mr Praveen is waiting to be airlifted from the base camp to the nearest Lukla Airport. But choppers have restricted their operations and are busy airlifting mountaineers from Camp I and Camp II. It may take some more time to know when Mr Praveen will reach the airport.

“The condition at the Base Camp is grim. We have lost our fellow mountaineers. There are about a 100 people here and we are waiting for people to be brought in from higher reaches. There are two choppers, which are flying between the Base Camp and the spots where the mountaineers are stranded. One chopper has been kept as a backup. If the air rescue does not come through in two days, we are planning to trek the distance. It will take at least five days to reach Lukla Airport through Namchi Bazar,” he said.