Missing Japanese, Spanish climbers at Dhaulagiri feared dead

Two climbers, a Japanese woman and a Spanish man with a Nepali high altitude guide who have gone missing since last Friday have very little chance of survival, said an official of expedition handling agency on Tuesday. Japanese woman, Chizuko Kono, 67 with her Nepali guide Dawa Sherpa of the Polish Dhaulagiri Expedition Spring 2013 and 50-year- old Spanish Juan Jose Garra have gone missing in the Mt. Dhaulagiri, near at camp IV, one of the toughest mountain in the world to climb. "Since the three of the helicopter rescue operations did not find the whereabouts of the missing climbers, now it is hard to say they are alive," Tikaram Gurung, managing director of Bochi Bochi Trek Pvt. Ltd. told Xinhua. His company is handling Bochi Bochi Mt. Dhaulagiri Expedition 2013 for the period of 75 days from March 12, 2013 comprising of 10 members, permitted to climb 8,167 metre high Mount Dhaulagiri under the leadership of Spanish climber Manuel Gonzalez Diaz. Likewise the Japanese climber and her Nepali guide, started from March 3, 2013 under the leadership of Jerzy Natkanski of Poland, which is handled by Prestige Adventure Pvt. Ltd. Other members from the expedition are safe, according to organizers. However, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation ( MoCTA) has stated that nothing can be said about the condition of the three people as search and rescue operation is still on to find them. Tikaram Gurung, managing director, Bochi Bochi Treks confirmed that Spanish climber Garra could not walk further at the altitude of 7,700 metres after he broke his ankle. His guide Keshav Gurung who took care of him all night was rescued by the helicopter later but it could not bring Garra due the constraints of high altitude. Gurung is under treatment in a local hospital in Kathmandu. Dhaulagiri is one of the most difficult mountains for climbers because of its roughness, lots of steep ice falls, twisting ridges and glaciers. Several pyramid-shaped peaks rise along the main crest of Mount Dhaulagiri.