Anurag Maloo, born on June 13, 1989, in Kishangarh, Rajasthan, is an Indian mountain climber, social activist, engineer, and entrepreneur .
He made headlines in April 2023 after falling into a deep crevasse at Mount Annapurna and going missing for approximately three days. Rescuers, who went there expecting to recover his body, found him alive on April 20, 2023, after he had spent nearly four days in the crevasse.
Anurag never imagined that his life would take him to the precipice of death and back.
His journey into mountaineering began during the global travel restrictions of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspired by an earlier Antarctic expedition with Robert Swan the accomplishments of Indian mountaineer Bachendri Pal, Anurag set his sights on the world’s highest peaks. In 2021, he summited Kang Yatze and Dzo Jongo in Ladakh, marking the beginning of his high-altitude adventures.
Driven by a desire to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Anurag aimed to climb all fourteen eight-thousander peaks and the seven highest peaks on seven continents as part of his #Climbing4SDGs initiative.
His ambitions led him to successfully climb many high-altitude Himalayan mountain peaks and passes like, Mount Nun, Mount Ama Dablam, and Mount Imja Tse in quick succession.
In 2023, Anurag set out to tackle Mount Annapurna, one of the world’s most dangerous peaks.
On April 16, 2023, he reached near the summit of Annapurna but was unable to continue due to extreme weather conditions, a triumphant moment that would soon turn into a nightmare.
During his descent , tragedy struck. Anurag mistakenly picked up a wrong rope, slipped and plummeted into a deep crevasse between Camp III and Camp II. For 72 agonizing hours, Anurag lay trapped in the icy depths, his fate unknown to the world above.
His brother, Aashish Maloo, launched an online petition, desperately urging Nepali and Indian authorities to initiate a search and rescue operation.
On April 20, a team of experienced climbers, including Polish mountaineers Adam Bielecki and Mariusz Hatala, along with several Sherpas, volunteered for the rescue mission. Using a sophisticated pulley system and an extended rope, the team descended over 70 meters into the crevasse, where they found Anurag alive against all odds at 68 metres.
The team that saved Anurag Maloo from the crevasse
The rescue operation, lasting six hours, was a delicate dance with danger, as the team worked to extract Anurag without triggering an avalanche.
Quickly Airlifted to Manipal Teaching Hospital in Pokhara, Anurag was initially pronounced dead upon arrival. His brother’s insistence on aggressive intervention led to 4 hours of CPR, miraculously reviving Anurag from the brink of death.
For 12 days, Anurag remained in a coma and induced coma, his survival hanging by a thread as doctors expressed doubts about his recovery. Against all medical expectations, Anurag stabilized and was airlifted with the support of Adani Foundation and transferred to AIIMS New Delhi for further treatment of frostbite and other injuries.
Anurag Maloo with the doctors who treated him at AIIMS.
Awakening from his coma, Anurag described his experience as a “rebirth,” crediting his survival to the collective efforts of those who fought to save him. He expressed a deep sense of purpose, saying, “There is an invisible, mother-like energy protecting me. I came here for a reason—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been given this second life, this rebirth.
Today, Anurag Maloo shares his extraordinary story of survival,and the power of human connection through platforms like TEDx and podcasts.
His story has not only inspired climbers but also highlighted the extraordinary lengths to which individuals will go to support one another in times of crisis.
The rescue is celebrated as one of the most remarkable in mountaineering history.
