Nepal Army removes human remains, 11 tonnes of garbage from Everest region

The Nepal Army recovered the remains of five climbers in the Himalayan mountain range

The Nepali Army has removed the remains of five climbers and 11 tonnes of waste from the high-altitude Everest region as part of their almost two-month-long 'Mountain Cleaning Campaign 2024,' the fourth such expedition since the campaign’s launch in 2019, NDTV reports.

According to the report, the Army team found four dead bodies and one human skeleton of climbers during the expedition. The operation covered Mt Everest, standing at 8,848.86 metres, as well as the Mt Lhotse and Mt Nuptse areas near the Everest Base Camp.

The Nepali Army declared the 2024 ‘Mountain Cleaning Campaign’ on Apr 7, aiming to combat human-made pollution in the Himalayas' fragile high-altitude regions amidst the challenges of climate change.

On the first day of Everest's Spring Climbing Season, the Army unveiled plans to recover 10 tonnes of waste and five bodies from Mt Everest. Led by Major Aditya Karki, a 12-member team, assisted by 18 Sherpas, began the mission, as per the report.

The expedition was flagged off on Apr 11.

During the event marking the campaign's conclusion on Wednesday, World Environment Day, Army chief Prabhu Ram Sharma stated, "Despite challenges, we collected 11 tonnes of garbage, four corpses, and a skeleton."

He honoured the team and Sherpa guides for their valuable contributions.

Biodegradable waste was taken to Namche Bazaar and given to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) for proper treatment, while non-biodegradable waste and human remains were transported to Kathmandu.

The Nepal Army worked alongside the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the Tourism Department, and the Nepal Mountaineers Association for the Everest region's cleaning campaign.

According to the MyRepublica portal, the cleaning team also ascended Mount Everest. Since the campaign's inception in 2019, they have collected 12 dead bodies and 180 metric tonnes of garbage from the mountain areas, including Mt Everest's peak.