A Brother's SOS For Missing Indian Mountaineer: "Anurag, You're A Fighter"

An Indian man has sought help in finding his mountaineer brother who he said fell while descending from Nepal's Mount Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain in the world.

Aashish Maloo posted the request for help on change.org, addressed to India's Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.

Mr Maloo said his brother, Anurag, last week set out to climb Mount Annapurna; unfortunately, he fell down when he was at an altitude of 6,000 metres while descending on Monday.

"It was without question that he will return after successfully summiting yet another peak. But in an unfortunate turn of events, he fell down from around 6,000 m while descending from Camp III on April 17, and since then has been missing," Mr Maloo said in the post on the crowd petition website.

"We are devastated. It feels like our worst nightmares have come true, but we cannot lose hope. We know that Anurag is out there somewhere, waiting for us. Help us find him..." Mr Maloo said.

He shared the hashtag #BringAnuragBack to spread the call for help.

"My brother Anurag is the most passionate climber that I know. Since I can remember, climbing mountains has been a dream of his. Each time he set out to climb, he would make sure he had the Indian flag by his side, ready to be hoisted across the world's highest peaks. His passion took him on a mission to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 m and seven summits to create awareness and drive action towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals," Mr Maloo said.

He said a team of sherpas is looking for his brother. "But that's not enough at the moment. We need to act faster. We need support from the Indian and Nepalese governments. We have contacted some of them, and need your support in making sure our voices reach them... We need a special rescue team trained to operate in such risky terrain. Only with their support can we ensure that Anurag is found as soon as possible," Mr Maloo said.

"Anurag, you're a fighter, and we will find you. We have so many things to tell you, be back soon. You are so loved and cared for; we cannot wait for your safe return," Mr Maloo said.

Another mountaineer, Baljeet Kaur, 27, was rescued a day after she went missing near Camp IV of Mount Annapurna while descending from the summit point. Ms Kaur, who climbed the mountain without using supplemental oxygen on Monday, was rescued from 7,363 metres after an aerial search team located her. She suffered frostbite, a rescuer told news agency PTI.