A 27-year-old renowned Indian woman climber named Baljeet Kaur went missing while descending from the summit of Mt. Annapurna at Camp IV on April 17, the radio contact went out. But due to the efforts of the search and rescue team, she was found alive on April 18.
She was able to transmit a radio message requesting “immediate help” on the morning of April 18. After that, an aerial search expedition was launched to rescue Baljeet. She was scaling Mt Annapurna without an oxygen cylinder.
Her GPS location showed that she was at the height of 7,375m (24,193ft), according to a Sherpa. On April 17 at about 5:15 p.m., she and two Sherpa guides scaled Mount Annapurna. At least three helicopters were dispatched to find Baljeet.
Just hours before she lost contact with officials, Baljeet shared a photo of herself on social media with the caption, saying: “Climbing a mountain is a great metaphor for life itself. You set a goal, you prepare, you climb, and you enjoy the view”.
Last year in May, Kaur climbed Mt Lhotse becoming the first Indian climber to have completed four 8000-meter summits in a single season.
She made a record by becoming the first Indian woman and the youngest person to climb Mount Manaslu without oxygen cylinders. She is the daughter of retired bus driver Amrik Singh from the Himachal Road Transport Corporation and housewife Shanti Devi.
At 8,091 metres above sea level, Annapurna is the tenth-highest peak in the world. Maurice Herzog of France first climbed Mt Annapurna in the early 1950s. This summit is considered dangerous because of the risk of frequent avalanches. According to hiking officials, at least 365 people have scaled Annapurna, and more than 72 have died on the mountain.
Pasang Sherpa, the chairman of a company organising the expedition, was quoted by Kathmandu-based The Himalayan Times as saying that Baljeet had gone missing above Camp IV while descending from the top as she scaled the peak without using supplemental oxygen.
On her rescue on April 18, the company released a statement saying, “We are thrilled to share that after being air-lifted from the mountain, Baljeet Kaur has safely arrived at Annapurna base camp and will soon be flown back to Kathmandu for medical examination. Baljeet’s accomplishment is truly remarkable, and we can’t help but admire her courage, strength and determination. Her extensive training, skills and preparation have played an instrumental role in overcoming this daunting incident. We applaud her outstanding achievement and commend her for being an inspiration for all of us. We wish Baljeet a swift and complete recovery.”
