Mamata Banerjee may go to Nepal tomorrow to expedite Chhanda's rescue operation

“The chief secretary has also contacted S Rao, Indian High Commissioner in Nepal to assure that all expenses for the rescue operation will be borne by the state government,” he said.

Biswas said that the Chief Minister rang up Gayen's family members here and assured them that the state government was doing its best to rescue the climber.

A two-member rescue team comprising veteran climbers Ujjwal Roy and Devdas Nandi, sent by the state government, have reached the Kanchenjunga Base Camp by helicopter, he said.

They would be accompanied by Tashi, the sherpa who was with Gayen and three others during their climb to the Kanchenjunga main peak last week, in their search for the woman mountaineer.