Indian air force pilots have spotted five bodies in the Himalayas during a search for a group of mountain climbers who have been missing for a week.
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A group of eight climbers, including Australian woman Ruth McCance, lost contact while attempting to summit India's second-highest mountain, Nanda Devi.
They were last in contact on May 26, before an avalanche occurred in the area. A search was launched when the group did not return to base camp.
![Australian mountaineer Ruth McCance is missing after attempting to summit Nanda Devi East. Picture: Facebook Australian mountaineer Ruth McCance is missing after attempting to summit Nanda Devi East. Picture: Facebook](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc75lp4bj1o7ag6reukvg.jpg/r0_0_1732_1208_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande said five bodies were found on the 6477-metre peak on Monday, before a rescue operation in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand was suspended because of heavy snowfall and high winds.
Dr Jogdande said an operation to find the other three mountaineers will resume on Tuesday.
He said officials are consulting the Indian army on how to retrieve the bodies.
The other seven missing climbers include three people from the UK, three from the United States and one from India.
Four British climbers, who were rescued from base camp on Sunday, have been released from hospital.
The group had been attempting reach the summit of a previously unclimbed route up Nanda Devi East.
Speaking on Sunday, Ms McCance's husband Trent Goldsack said his wife was well-prepared for the climb.
"She'd been preparing to do this for years. It's not her first time in that area," Mr Goldsack said.
"She has a real passion for the mountains and being out in wild environments. And she likes to extend herself ... that's what was important to her."
AP