Warsaw
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PressRelease
Adam Bielecki and Mariusz Hatala, the Polish heroes who saved Anurag of Annapurna
In March 2023, an amazing rescue on the Annapurna peak knit together three countries, Poland, India and Nepal. Anurag Maloo, an Indian climber, fell 68 metres deep into a crevasse where he spent three days and three nights alone in extreme temperatures. Two brave and determined Polish climbers, Adam Bielecki and Mariusz Hatala, launched an extraordinary rescue: with the intrepid Tashi Sherpa, they succeeded in lifting Anurag, miraculously still alive, to the surface. From here he was evacuated immediately by helicopter, piloted by the skilled Sobit Gauchan, to medical help. After eight months of treatment, Anurag is well and determined to climb to build resilient communities and a sustainable world.
2. At the 29th Mountain Festival in Ladek Zdroj, on 8th September 2024, Ambassador Nagma M. Mallick felicitated the two Polish climbers and gave heartfelt thanks to Adam and Mariusz and the many others who had made possible the Miracle on the Annapurna. She told Anurag that he was singularly lucky that he fell around Poles and Sherpas, surely among the most generous and warm-hearted people in the world, and on the peak named after Annapurna Devi, the Goddess of Food and Life. The story of Anurag of Annapurna will be the latest addition to the treasure-house of accounts of generosity and humanism that bind together Indians and Poles.
3. The closing ceremony of the Festival began with a discussion among the Indian and Polish climbers on the many extraordinary features of the rescue. Oswald and Bartek, Polish climbers who attempted a rescue on the first day after Anurag fell but could not continue due to fear of an avalanche, also spoke. After the felicitation, Ms. Ragini Nagar presented a beautiful Kathak performance that detailed elements of the classical Indian dance to an enthralled audience.
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10th September 2024
