Kathmandu, Aug 8: The body known as ‘Green Boots’, which has remained frozen in the snow along the route to the summit of Mount Everest for the past 30 years, is now set to be brought home.
The body, believed to be that of Indian mountaineer Dorje Morup, who died in 1996, lies at an altitude of around 8,500 metres on Mount Everest.
The body, wearing green mountaineering boots, has been a grim but familiar sight for Everest climbers for decades. It has also served as a landmark guiding climbers towards the summit.
For years, the body was believed to be that of Tsewang Paljor, another member of the 1996 Indian expedition team. However, based on accounts from surviving climbers, the location of the climber’s last radio contact, and the clothing and mountaineering equipment found with the body, Indian authorities have concluded that it is Morup’s body.
Morup, a 48-year-old member of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which guards the India-China border, was part of a historic Indian expedition that climbed Everest from the northern, Chinese side. He received a certificate from the Chinese government confirming that he reached the summit at 5:30 pm on May 10, 1996.
However, Morup, along with Tsewang Smanla and Tsewang Paljor, died in a severe snowstorm while descending from the summit. Two of the three bodies have still not been found.
Recovering bodies from Everest’s so-called “death zone” is considered extremely dangerous. Temperatures there can fall to minus 40 degrees Celsius, while oxygen levels are only about one third of those at sea level.
According to mountaineers, the route from the Chinese side is steeper and more difficult, making it particularly challenging to bring the body down. An estimated 10 to 12 climbers with the skills required to reach the summit may be needed just to reach the location of the body.
The body would then have to be carried to an altitude where a helicopter could lift it. Experts estimate that the recovery operation could cost between $40,000 and $80,000.
The ITBP is searching for a specialist high-altitude rescue team for the operation and aims to bring Morup’s body back to India by September. Once it reaches India, a DNA test will be conducted to confirm his identity.
Morup’s wife, Konchak Yangskit, said she struggled for years to accept that her husband had died because she had never seen his body.
“I never saw his body, so it was very difficult to accept that he had died,” she said.
Morup’s eldest son, Punchok Dorjai, said that if his father’s body is brought home, the family plans to cremate him near Martyrs Park in Leh, the capital of Ladakh. He said his father should be remembered as a martyr because he gave his life for the country.
Along with Morup’s Everest climbing certificate, the family plans to preserve the ‘Green Boots’, which became his final identifying marker, as a symbol of his legacy.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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