BEIJING — The body of an American mountain climber has been found after an avalanche in an isolated part of southwest China, the official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday.
Rescue workers are searching for two other American members of the group who went missing on Mount Gongga, Li Zhixin, an official with the Chinese Mountaineering Association, told Xinhua.
Xinhua did not identify whose body had been found.
A search was launched for the three climbers — including Boulder locals Jonny Copp, 35; and Micah Dash, 32; and Minnesota climber Wade Johnson, 24 — after they missed their Wednesday flight back from Chengdu.
According to a blog run by Copp’s film company, the body is believed to be one of those three climbers.
“We are working hard to get a positive ID on the climber’s body and are keeping the search effort underway,” says Robb Shurr, a search effort spokesman in Boulder.
Peter Mortimer, of Boulder’s Sender Films, for which Johnson was filming, wrote that the three men have inspired the climbing community.
That includes “their dedication to pushing the barriers of the sport on rock and in alpine terrain; their extensive community outreach through slide presentations and film festivals; their work with clothing and gear companies in designing and promoting cutting-edge equipment; and their dedication to capturing the most inspiring photos and footage from the most extreme places on earth,” he said.
Mortimer’s message was part of a plea put out to the climbing community to help raise funds for the rescue effort. Donations are being collected at the website for Copp’s organization, .
The trio was last heard from May 20 at the base camp of Mount Edgar, a peak of Mount Gongga that is more than 22,000 feet above sea level.
