Against all odds, rescuers found Anurag Maloo alive this morning. The Indian climber had spent an astonishing three days inside a crevasse below Camp 3 on Annapurna. A helicopter airlifted Maloo from the mountain in a critical condition.
The rescue itself was remarkable. According to Prateek Gupta of the ASC360 insurance company, a small team approached one of the most dangerous spots on the mountain in increasingly bad weather. This serac area at 5,600-6000m is constantly swept by avalanches. There, they evacuated Maloo from some 100-300 meters (reports vary) inside a huge crevasse.
The area where the crevasse fall took place. Photo: Courtesy of ASC360
Adam Bielecki to the rescue again
Details remain limited but preliminary reports suggest that the rescue team included nine Sherpa climbers and experienced Polish climbers Adam Bielecki and Mariusz Hatala, who were in the area attempting to open a new route on Annapurna NW Face.
According to Gupta, who was in radio contact with the rescuers, three Nepalis and one Polish climber descended into the crevasse and found Maloo showing some sign of life. The rest of the Sherpa team then followed, extracting the stricken climber with them.
Helicopters had to operate at their limit due to bad weather. Flying to Kathmandu was not an option, so they initially airlifted Maloo to Manipal Hospital in Pohkara, before transferring him to Medicity Hospital in Kathmandu.
