Mountaineer Chhanda Gayen, the second civilian woman from West Bengal to scale Mount Everest, has gone missing after she was caught in an avalanche on the Kanchenjunga peak, a state minister said on Wednesday.
The West Bengal government has swung into action to rescue the missing woman, Housing Minister Arup Biswas said here.
“Gayen and two of her sherpas who had gone on an expedition to Kanchenjunga have gone missing after being caught in an avalanche. We have contacted the Nepal government and the external affairs ministry to ensure they are rescued at the earliest,” he said, adding that the Nepal government has has deployed a helicopter to search for the missing mountaineer and the sherpas.
Ms. Gayen in May 2013 became the second civilian woman from West Bengal to scale Everest. Kunga Bhutia from Darjeeling was the first to do so.
