The bodies of four climbers who failed their Everest challenge and left little indication as to their identity created a new challenge for the Nepalese authorities that control the highest peak in the world.
Worn by the wind and cold to near skeletons, the remains have been in a Kathmandu morgue since they were brought back from the slopes two weeks ago with nearly 11 tonnes of trash.
Police and government officials admit they face a huge challenge putting names to the dead climbers and sending them back to their home countries.
They cannot even be sure how long the corpses had been among scores waiting to be found on the slopes.
A government-organized clean-up team retrieved the bodies between the Everest base camp and the South Col at 7,906 meters (25,938 feet) this climbing season.
“The bodies are not in a recognizable state, almost down to their bones. There is no face to identify them,” senior police official Phanindra Prasai told AFP.
“We have directed the hospital to collect DNA samples so they can be matched with any families who come forward.”
Nepalese police are going through administrative processes so they can make an appeal for help and inform foreign diplomatic missions about the bodies. But some fear the mystery could take years to solve.
“It is a difficult task,” said Ang Tsering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
