Rescuers retrieve bodies of 3 Indian climbers from Mount Everest

Rescuers have retrieved the body of Indian mountaineer Ravi Kumar, who died on Mount Everest on 21 May, a trekking company has said.

Remains of two other Indian climbers– Goutam Ghosh and Paresh Nath– who had lost their lives on the mountain last year have also been recovered and brought back to Nepal's capital Kathmandu on 28 May (Sunday). Their bodies could not be retrieved earlier due to bad weather, rescuers said.

Ravi Kumar: The Indian mountaineer

Kumar had successfully scaled Everest, but was separated from his guide near a place called Balcony after he fell sick on his way down from the summit.

He is believed to have fallen almost 200m (650 feet) to his death and his body was spotted on Monday by Sherpa rescuers, Associated Press reported.

The guide was found unconscious with severe frostbite at Camp 4, just below 8,000 metres.

According to the rescuers, recovery of Kumar's body was a risky operation.

Tashi Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, the company overseeing the operation, told Agence France-Presse news agency that, "A team of at least eight rescue workers retrieved his body and brought it down to Camp 2 on Saturday."

Manoj Kumar, the mountaineer's brother received the body at a hospital in Kathmandu. "It was his dream to take our country's flag to the top of Mount Everest," he said.

"We are deeply sad, but also proud of him," he added.

Mount Everest: death zone

Over 200 people have died while trying to scale Mount Everest since 1920.

It is said that most fatalities occur in or near the so-called "death zone", where oxygen levels are extremely low.

The current climbing season has already seen the deaths of 10 people on Mount Everest, including Min Bahadur Sherchan (85), who lost his life attempting to reclaim his title as the world's oldest person to reach the summit. Roland Yearwood from the US, Vladimir Strba from Slovakia, Francesco Enrico Marchetti from Australia are among others who have lost their lives in the past few days while trying to climb the world's highest mountain.

Rescuers find it difficult to bring back bodies of climbers who die in remote or difficult-to-access locations. The bodies that can be retrieved are brought back down, but others are left on the snowy slopes and crevasses. Some bodies are said to reappear as the glaciers move.