June 12, 2007
Body of Missing
Mountaineer Found
After 26 Years
Chengdu (China)
A rescue team in Sichuan province of China has discovered a body
believed to be that of a Japanese mountaineer who went missing 26
years ago, the mountaineering association said Tuesday.
The team was in fact searching for Australian climber, Andrew Clem
Lindenmayer, 47, missing in the area since last month when villagers
reported the discovery on Mount Gongga to them.
A 12-strong mountaineering team from Hokkaido, Japan, had set out to
climb Mount Gongga in May 1981, but eight members disappeared after
a fall when the team was moving to an area 7,450 meters above sea
level.
"The team apparently ran into atrocious weather," said Gao Ming,
deputy secretary-in-chief of the association who had returned from
the site.
"The discovery may be a comfort to the victim's family who have been
without news for so long," said Gao.
"Villagers found the body on June 4 on a glacier 4,040 meters above
sea level when they were picking medicinal herbs in the area," said
Gao.
"After studying the clothing and the equipment found on the body, we
believe the victim is one of the eight Japanese mountaineers who
went missing more than a quarter of a century ago," said Gao.
"We have emailed our Japanese counterparts (about the discovery) but
the identity of the body won't be confirmed until we get results of
DNA tests," said Gao.
"According to international practice, we buried the body where it
was found," he said.
Efforts to find the missing climbers have continued since Chinese
and Japanese climbers jointly launched a first search operation in
1994.
The official attributed the discovery after nearly three decades to
the melting of glaciers under the effect of global warming.
"The body was probably buried deep in the ice but as the glacier has
thawed it became visible," he said.
Gongga -- Tibetan for "highest snow-capped mountain" -- attracts
both tourists and mountaineers to its soaring peaks and panoramic
scenery. It has more than 20 peaks above 6,000 meters, the highest
at 7,556 meters.
The number of accidents is on the rise with more and more climbers
on the mountain since the 1950s.
Boloji.com is owned and managed by Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer
No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
