New Delhi: Indian climber Anurag Maloo, who went missing on Monday while descending from Nepal's Mount Annapurna, has been found alive by rescuers, his brother confirmed on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. He remains in critical condition, his brother said.
"He is found alive. He has been taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he is still alive," Sudhir, his brother said.
"We will have to shift our focus towards the medical side now," he added.
Aashish Maloo had posted the request for help on change.org, addressed to Indian Embassy in Nepal and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.
On Wednesday, Maloo posted on the crowd petition website, "The search and rescue operations for Anurag continue. A special rescue operation began at 7:30 this morning. Drone with thermal cameras are being organised to support the operation,"
"The Indian Embassy in Nepal, rescue insurance company and the responsible expedition operator are currently in conversation, paving the way for another search & rescue operation with fresh Sherpas," Aashish Maloo said in the post after a special rescue operation was launched early on Wednesday morning.
Mallu thanked the Indian Embassy in Nepal and said, "We are extremely grateful to the Indian Embassy in Nepal, for their timely support."
"We continue to request for Dr. S Jaishankar’s (Minister of External Affairs) intervention to help strengthen the mission," Maloo added.
Anurag Maloo, 34, a resident of Kishangarh in Rajasthan, went missing on Monday after he fell from around 6,000 metres while descending from Camp III. Mount Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world.
Maloo is on a mission to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres and the seven highest points in all seven continents to create awareness and drive action towards achieving the UN Global Goals, PTI reported.
He has been awarded REX Karam- Veer Chakra and became the 2041 Antarctic Youth Ambassador from India.