A Singaporean climber has gone missing after reaching the summit of Mount Everest on May 19th, causing his family to demand immediate attention to his situation.
Mr Shrinivas Sainis Dattatraya, who had set out to Nepal from Singapore to Nepal last month, said he was determined to climb the world's highest mountain.
In the petition, his cousin Divya Bharath wrote that Shrinivas had suffered frostbite and altitude sickness on the way down.
This resulted in him appearing to have separated himself from the rest of his group, and fallen down at around 8,000 m, likely onto the Tibetan side of the mountain.
Shrinivas was part of a Nepalese expedition organised by Seven Summit Treks, a Nepalese company that offers guided climbs on Mount Everest and other mountains.
He was last in contact with base camp officials at around 8,500 m.
On Monday, BNN said Shrivinas was disappearing from sight while on the way down. The Sherpa guide managed to reach camp IV, a final camp between Mount Everest and Lhotse mountain, at 8 p.m. Friday.
Ms. Bharath wrote in a letter that the family had reached out to the relevant governments.
This matter needs to be brought to their attention immediately. We need a special rescue team that is trained to operate in such risky terrain, and to ensure that this whole rescue op is not hindered by diplomatic paperwork, she said.
She added that Shrivinas' family was devastated but did not want to lose hope.
CNA has also contacted Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information.
On Friday, AFP reported that two more climbers died on Mount Everest, raising the number of deaths on the mountain to nine.
A Malaysian and a Chinese climber were confirmed dead at the scene.
On average, about five climbers die each spring on Mount Everest. The toll has reportedly reached nearly double this year, a little more than halfway through the season.
The area above 8,000 m is known as the death zone, where thin air and low oxygen levels raise the risk of altitude sickness and is renowned for its difficult terrain.
The Nepalese government has issued 478 permits for Everest to international climbers this season, which runs until early June.
Since most will need a guide, more than 900 people in total will try to summit.
According to Nepal's tourism department, more than 400 climbers have already reached the top since the route was set on Saturday.