Seven bodies have been recovered in the Himalayas after a group of eight climbers disappeared in May.
The group was attempting to reach the unclimbed peak of a mountain in the remote Nanda Devi region when the area was hit by an avalanche.
On Sunday it was reported soldiers had reached the bodies of seven victims at an altitude of 5000 metres. The search will continue for the eighth member of the group, reports Metro.
At the time the eight-person group vanished, four other members had stayed behind at base camp.
The leader of the remaining group, Mark Thomas, said he knew the missing team's location until May 26.
When he stopped receiving radio contact, Thomas went out to search for the group.
From a rescue helicopter, Thomas could spot the tracks of the climbers, but nothing else.
"There was a trail of the climbers there, and the trail ended in an avalanche," Indian Mountaineering Foundation spokesperson Amit Chowdhary cited Thomas as saying.
"There was evidence of a very large avalanche," he told Associated Press.
Thomas and his three group members were brought down from the mountain, and a rescue operation was launched for the eight missing people.
Mountain guide Martin Moran was accompanied by British nationals John Mclaren, Rupert Whewell and Richard Payne.
American men Anthony Sudejum and Ronald Beimel were also with the group. Ruth McCance from Australia and Chetan Pandey, an Indian mountaineering guide, are missing too.
The retrieved bodies will be brought down to base camp to be formally identified.
Newshub.
