Missing climber found dead

Hyderabad: Indian mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu, who was missing since March 24 while climbing the mountain between Chile and Argentina, has been found dead, his friends said Saturday. ‘‘Mountains retained its favourite child.. R.I.P Malli Mastan Babu,’’ read an announcement on Facebook page ‘‘Rescue Malli Mastan Babu’’ created by his well-wishers. The body of mountaineer, who hailed from Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, was reportedly spotted on mountains in Chile. The 40-year-old mountaineer left home December 16 and began the expedition from Argentina March 24. He was scheduled to return to the base camp the next day but was apparently trapped in bad weather. All efforts by the family, friends and fellow mountaineers to contact him proved futile.