Mountain Climbing Trip Turns DeadlyNine survivors from two amateur mountaineering teams caught in sudden storms on May 6 on the 6,200-metre-high Baozhu Mountain in Qinghai Province returned safely to the city of Golmud on Monday, according to report of China Daily.Two members of the teams died in the storms and three are still missing, said Deng Haiping, an official from the Qinghai Mountaineering Association. Bad weather forced all rescue teams to abandon search efforts on Monday and wait for the storms to subside, said Deng. A team of five climbers from Guangdong Province began its ascent to the peak on May 6, but a sudden storm that afternoon dispersed the members, who lost contact with each other. Three climbers were rescued after spending more than a week on the mountain. According to a 1997 State Sports Commission regulation, mountaineering teams must register with local mountaineering associations, which have to inspect the team's equipment, route plans, and assess individual members' climbing experience before issuing permits. Foreigners must also apply to the China Mountaineering Association (CMA) and local agencies in charge of foreign affairs to get climbing permits. The rescue team found the bodies of two climbers, but was unable to bring them back because of poor weather conditions. The cause of death for the climber from the Guangdong team is still unclear. Two climbers from the Guangdong team are still missing, one of whom is a woman. One climber is also missing from the Beijing team. Four teams have tried to climb Baozhu Mountain this year. The previous two teams returned safely. Amateur mountaineering has become more popular among young people in recent years. |
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