Search for missing American climber ends

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-11 21:37

CHENGDU - Rescuers ended the search for the American climber Thursday on Mt. Gongga in southwest China's Sichuan Province due to bad weather, according to local sources.

Eight rescuers, four from China and four from the United States, started to descend Thursday noon, said Lin Li, general secretary of Sichuan Mountaineering Association.

"Weather condition is quite bad, with fog, rain, snow hampering the work," he said.

"Sometimes stones fell off the peak," he added, "another avalanche is quite possible according to our experience."

Rescuers believed that the missing climber, 32-year-old Micah Dash, was not likely to survive.

Two bodies have been found. One of them, identified as the youngest team member Wade Johnson, aged 25, was discovered in snow 4,000 meters above sea level on Monday, while the other, 35-year-old Jonathan Copp, was found 300 m from Johnson's body on Saturday.

Rescuers were about to send the two bodies to a pass 2,600 m above sea level.

The Americans were part of a team of two climbers and two photographers, who had planned to ascend the summit of Mt. Gongga (Mt. Edgar), 6,400 m above sea level, on May 1 and return on May 28.

One of team members returned early. When the rest failed to return as scheduled, the search began on June 3.

Mt. Gongga is the highest peak in Sichuan and one of the seven highest mountains open to the public in China. Only 24 people have reached the summit, and 22 have died on the mountain.