India plans mission to recover “Green Boots” on Everest

Indian authorities are seeking to retrieve the remains of a climber known as “Green Boots” from the upper slopes of Mount Everest, almost 30 years after the fatal expedition.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, a paramilitary force, has issued a tender for a specialist high-altitude recovery agency to bring down what it believes is the body of Dorje Morup from the Tibet side of the mountain, News.Az reports, citing The Independent.

Many in the mountaineering community, however, believe “Green Boots” is another Indian climber, Tsewang Paljor.

Morup and Paljor were part of a six-member expedition that was caught in a deadly storm near the summit in 1996.

All six climbers were members of the Indian paramilitary force. While three turned back as weather conditions worsened, Morup, Paljor and Tsewang Samanla continued their ascent.

They reportedly went close to the summit before being forced to turn back. All three perished on the mountain.

The remains of “Green Boots” lie inside Everest’s “death zone” above 8,000m, where harsh conditions make recovery extremely dangerous.

The tender invites agencies with experience carrying out rescue or recovery operations at similar altitudes, preferably on Everest in the past five years.

The operation is expected to be complicated by the need to coordinate with Chinese authorities to transport the body across the Tibet-Nepal border, fly it to Kathmandu, and arrange repatriation to India, according to The Times.

The operation is expected to take place between June and September.

“Green Boots” was so named after the bright green boots he was wearing when he died. His body is a well-known landmark on the northeast route of Everest.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli