DARJEELING/KRISHNAGORE: A mountain guide from Darjeeling on an expedition to Saser Khangri peak in Karakoram Range, organized by the Mountaineering Academy of Krishnagore (MAK) in Nadia , is reportedly feared dead while descending on Friday morning after summiting successfully on July 12.The expedition was led by Everest climber Bashanta Singh Roy, a key MAK member. MAK secretary Ashim Mondal said Roy, a close friend of Pemba Sherpa, is now involved in the rescue operations. Pemba apart, others to summit was MAK member Biswanath Saha of Ultadanga in the city and one identified as Anil of a Pune team. Nine members of the Pune team and seven MAK members jointly undertook the climb.Pemba Sherpa, aged around 47, hails from Gandhi Road in Darjeeling. He has previously climbed Mount Everest on eight occasions as a guide to different expedition teams, the last being in 2016. Sherpa's death has not been confirmed but his family received information on Friday that the guide could not be found even though other expedition members had reached the base camp safely."Someone from the expedition called my father at around 10.30 on Friday night saying that an accident had taken place and that my uncle was missing while climbing down the Saser Khangri peak. Other than that we have no information. We are really worried about his safety," Sherpa's nephew Nima Tenzing said.Pemba's wife Thokpa was inconsolable and refused to talk but Tenzing said the family last spoke to him on June 29.According to Pemba's brother Tashi Sherpa, who was also part of the month-long expedition that started on June 19 but returned from base camp due to illness, the Krishnagore club had hired them.(With inputs from Asish Poddar in Krishnagore)

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