22 yrs later, search begins for missing Swede in HP glacier

Says B R Verma, Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul: ‘‘The State Government has given us the chopper to carry out the recce. If weather permits, we will survey the place and look at the possibility of rescuing the bodies. We believe the spot is about 60-70 km from here, so we will have to see whether a ground party can be sent or the rescue needs to be carried out with the help of Air Force helicopters.’’

The big question, of course, is whether the body is actually that of Margot, though the Swedish Embassy feels it’s the closest match going by a ‘‘permit’’ recovered from her body. The document was issued in Ladakh, allowing foreign nationals to undertake the trek.

And since the one Margot had was valid for two, chances are that one of the three bodies could be that of her fiance.

According to a Swedish Embassy spokesperson: ‘‘As of now, we have checked our records and sent a name to the local officials through the Ministry of External Affairs. We are now waiting for them to get back to us. We also understand that a rescue effort is being planned.’’ The Embassy will inform Margot’s family only after her identity is established.

Margot’s body was spotted by a local resident acting as a porter for a Spanish group on a trek organised by Gurgaon-based Quest Adventure Tours. He claims to have spotted three more bodies, around 300 metres above this point on the Kangla Jot glacier.

Tomorrow’s helicopter mission will be manned by a group of three expert mountaineers selected by the Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports at Manali, with a few district officials in tow.

‘‘The purpose of the recce is to ascertain how the bodies can be rescued. There has been fresh snowfall in this area and we will have to check the feasibilty of such a mission,’’ Institute director H S Chauhan told The Indian Express.

With the trekking season ending in August, experts in the Institute say the mission will be tough. With the bodies being spotted on the border of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, near the Zanskar range, it would involve at least a weeklong trek from the nearest roadhead, they add.