KASKI: A tourist who went missing during a trek to Mardi Himal on May 13 has been found dead, authorities confirmed on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Bhikshu Dhammisaro of Sangharam Buddhist Monastery in Kathmandu.
According to Raj Kumar Tamang, the body was recovered from a deep gorge below the upper viewpoint area of Mardi Himal after a search operation involving security personnel and local tourism entrepreneurs.
He said traces in the snow initially helped the search team locate the area, and the body was eventually spotted below a cliff after noticing clothing from a distance. It took nearly three hours to reach the site.
Tamang said the difficult terrain has made it impossible to retrieve the body manually.
“Due to the challenging geography, it is not possible to carry the body up. We requested helicopter support through the administration, police and local government, but even after waiting for four hours, no helicopter arrived. We then returned to the high camp,” he said.
The trekker had reached the Mardi viewpoint at an altitude of around 4,200 meters after staying overnight at Low Camp. He reportedly left his belongings in a teashop, saying he would go for a short walk to observe the surroundings.
When he did not return by evening, locals began a search the next day. Despite two days of efforts, he could not be found until security forces resumed the search on Saturday along with local teams.
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