Mt. Kanchenjunga (8586 m) in Taplejung district of Nepal

Kathmandu — Five people including one South Korean and two other foreign climbers are feared dead after they slipped in the snow while climbing down Mt. Kanchenjunga (8586 m) in Taplejung district. However, it is yet to be confirmed officially.

According to the Mingma Sherpa, the proprietor of the Seven Summit Trekking Agency, there were two Hungarians, two Koreans and five Nepali climbers in the expedition team. “We are unable to send rescue team to the accident spot due to the bad weather,” Sherpa said.

They include 47-year-old South Korean climer Park Nam-Soo and 45-year-old Hungarian Zsolt Eross. Eross was the first Hungarian to climb Mt. Everest and lost half of his right leg in an avalanche in 2010.

Two other missing Nepalese guides have been identified as Phu Dorjee, 24, and Bibash Gurung, 25.

Sherpa said that they were preparing to send local Sherpas to the site on foot for the rescue operation but later they dropped the idea thinking that it might put rescuers themselves at risk.

He also informed that the expedition team was climbing down after ascending the 8586 meter high Mt Kanchenjunga on May 20. They reportedly met with the accident while they were near 4th camp in the mountain.

Sherpa suspected that the climbers might have slipped and died in the snow due to the high winds and bad weather at around 7,000 meters. The expedition team had left Kathmandu for the mountain on April 2.

“Two expedition teams from my agency had gone to the summit the mountain. All except five have returned safely. They also informed me that they had seen five bodies on the mountain while they were returning,” said Sherpa. Sherpa further informed that only two Nepali climbers have been identified among the five dead.

The two Nepali climbers-Dibas Gurung and Fu Dorji Sherpa of Sankhuwasabha-were among the dead.

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council (KCAMC) said that it has received the information about the accident but yet to confirm it independently. Even police said that it was yet to glean full information on the incident.