Korean found dead on Alps’ highest mountain

A French rescue team found the body of a South Korean man who went missing in the Alps earlier in the week, the South Korean Embassy in France said Thursday.

A regional rescue squad found the body of the 34-year-old, only identified by his last name Lee, in the alpine zone of Mont Blanc, some 4,300 meters above sea level, at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday (France time), according to the embassy.

Lee was climbing the highest mountain in the Alps with his 44-year-old acquaintance, also surnamed Lee, on Sunday. They sent a distress call to a nearby rescue team after they were stranded due to bad weather.

The rescue team couldn’t immediately dispatch a helicopter to the site because of winds of 130 kph, according to the officials. They were only able to save the 44-year-old Lee on Monday. The climbers had apparently separated from each other to secure a safe place and make contact with the rescue squad.

The Korean Embassy said it has contacted Lee’s family, and is negotiating with French officials about the body transfer. The 34-year-old Lee who resided in Hamburg, Germany, and the rescued Lee, a resident of Russia’s Saint Petersburg, reportedly attended the same university.

Yonhap