Tragedy on Winter Makalu: One Dead, One Missing
A commercial expedition on Mount Makalu (8,485m) has turned tragic following a successful winter summit push. Phurba Ongel Sherpa, the brother of expedition leader Sanu Sherpa, has died during the descent, while Iranian climber Abolfazl Gozali is reported missing.
According to The Tourism Times, Phurba Ongel Sherpa fell to his death from above Camp 4 at approximately 7,500 metres while descending from the summit. In a separate incident, Abolfazl Gozali went missing near Camp 4 during his descent.
Photo Courtesy: Makalu Adventure
The summit was reached earlier the same day. Reports indicate that Gozali, guided by Sanu Sherpa, reached the top of Makalu at around 10:30 am, followed roughly an hour later by Phurba Ongel Sherpa and Lakpa Rinji Sherpa.
According to information relayed by The Tourism Times, Sanu Sherpa and Gozali were descending near Camp 4 when Sanu noticed his younger brother in distress above them. Sanu instructed Gozali to wait while he climbed back up to assist Phurba Ongel. After reaching the location of his brother’s fall, Sanu Sherpa returned to the agreed point, only to find that Gozali was no longer there.
File image of Phurba Ongel Sherpa. Photo: Pioneer Adventure
Sanu Sherpa has since returned to Base Camp, where he is coordinating search and rescue operations. As of the latest reports, Makalu Adventure, the expedition outfitter, has not issued an official statement. A spokesperson told ExplorersWeb earlier that they were awaiting communications from Base Camp and did not confirm any incident at that time.
Born in 1981 in the Makalu region, Phurba Ongel Sherpa was a highly experienced high-altitude guide. He had worked with several expedition companies, guiding on major 8,000-metre peaks in Nepal and Pakistan, including K2. He had also summited Mount Everest 19 times.
This expedition marked his second attempt on winter Makalu, one of the most difficult winter objectives in the Himalaya.
The situation on Makalu remains ongoing, with search efforts continuing for the missing climber.
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