Govt to bear expenses for bringing back mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu's body

New Delhi: The government will bear the expenses of bringing back the body of ace mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu, who was found dead in the Andes mountains after he had gone missing during a climb.

Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu gave this assurance to the mother of the deceased after discussing the matter with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who, he said, has directed Indian missions in Argentina and Chile to make arrangements in this regard.

He said that inclement weather hampered efforts for retrieving Babu's body. The two options available were either to send a special aircraft or a team of expert mountaineers, he said.

Babu had gone missing in the Andes mountains on March 24 during a climb. His body was found on April 4 in a region between Argentina and Chile.