The first Arunachalee to scale Mount Everest, Tapi Mra (37), has reportedly been missing for the past seven days when he was on an official mission to explore the snow-capped Mount Kyarisatam, one of the highest peaks of Arunachal Pradesh, the official said on Monday. Tapi Mra and his assistant Niku Dao were reported missing since they embarked on a summit to Khyar Satam peak, one of the highest with a base camp of 4,500 meters above sea level, located in East Kameng district. A total of five porters are standing by in base camp.
Mountaineering and paragliding associations have appealed to Chief Minister Pema Khandu for help in finding Tapi Mra.
Paragliding Association of Arunachal Pradesh president, Vijoy Sonam and Mountaineering Association of Arunachal Pradesh president, Sika Gapak confirmed that Mra has gone missing and are making efforts to trace him, Mra is also the secretary general of the Mountaineering Association. He climbed the highest peak in the world on May 21, 2009.
“It was Mra’s fourth attempt on a Kyarisatam scale,” Gapak said.
Sonam, who has rushed to East Kameng district headquarters Seppa in search of Mra told PTI over the telephone that a person from the Puroik tribe had accompanied Mra for summiting Mount Kyarisatam, while his five porters are waiting in the base camp. The news of his disappearance was delivered by two Puroik carriers, a father and a son, who had returned to Seppa on Sunday.
Sonam has requested Chief Minister Pema Khadu to send a National Disaster Response Team to search for and rescue the mountaineer. He also urged the residents of the villages of Puroik on the remote hills of the district to assist in the search for Mra.
Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Pema Khandu wrote, “My prayers for the safety of Shri Tapi Mra, the first person from Arunachal to scale Mt Everest, who’s been reported missing with a porter since last week during an expedition to Mt Khyarisattam in #EastKameng district. State’s Dept of Sports is ready with plans to trace Shri Mra.”
“Tapi Mra had taken up an expedition on a self-request basis to Mount Kyarisatam, situated in East Kameng district. Efforts have been initiated with local people to locate the base camp and gather information,” said Pravimal Abhishek Polumatla, Deputy Commissioner of East Kameng.
“The location is very inaccessible and it takes approximately six days of a foot march from the last village to reach the base camp. Since it is raining, aerial recce and rescue operation will be feasible subject to weather conditions,” he added.
”Search operations will be carried out by the two helicopters of the Indian Army but as of now, the weather is extremely bad in that particular location. Only specialized teams can do rescue and search operations. Since yesterday night it’s been raining in the upper region of East Kameng district, so we are on standby and accessing the weather. Foot search operation can be the other option and other mountaineers who accompanied Mra on his last expedition also reached Seppa, the district headquarters of East Kameng district. They are also on standby,” Mama Natung, Arunachal sports, and youth affairs minister told India Today.
