- NET Web Desk
Heavy rainfall and inclement weather has severely hampered the operations to trace the Arunachal Pradesh’s Mountaineer Tapi Mra and his associate Niku Dao, missing for nearly two weeks.
Indian Army choppers were unable to fly on Friday to locate their whereabouts. Meanwhile, search sqaud on foot also encountered challenges, owing to the severe weather conditions.
According to reports, two ALH and two Cheetah helicopters have been deployed for aerial reconnaissance of the location.
Besides, the Indian Army’s highly-trained and motivated Special Forces and Arunachal’s Scout Teams are also being deployed for initiating ground operations in the challenging terrain.
In order to expedite the search & rescue operation, a 34-member infantry unit (31 Army personnel and three local mountaineers) have also arrived in Veo village; but the hazardous weather conditions are hampering the mission.
Consequently, it became necessary to divide the 34-person squad into two parts (Groups A and B). Group A has 18 members, whereas Group B has 16 members. 18 members from Group A have already reached Longchu, while the second group is expected to depart from Veo today.
Its worthy to note that Tapi – the first mountaineer from Arunachal Pradesh to conquer Mount Everest; has been reportedly missing with a porter – Niku Dao, while on an official mission to explore the snow-capped Mount Kyari Satam, one of the highest peaks in the frontier state.
Mra, also the Secretary General of Mountaineering Association of Arunachal Pradesh; had climbed the world’s highest peak on May 21, 2009. While, this was Mra’s fourth attempt to scale Kyarisatam.
