MOUNT EVEREST — The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has issued a tender to high-altitude recovery agencies for a mission to retrieve the remains of a climber known as "Green Boots" from Mount Everest's northern slope. Tender documents identified the body as Indian soldier Dorje Morup and specified that the contracted team must bring the remains to Delhi by October.

Documents seen by The Guardian and AFP show DNA testing confirmed the remains were those of Dorje Morup. The individual referred to as Green Boots was previously thought to be Tsewang Paljor, an Indo-Tibetan Border Police member who died during a summit attempt on May 10, 1996. Paljor was part of a group affected by a sudden storm near Mount Everest's peak that day.

Three climbers from the 1996 group continued their ascent despite worsening weather and did not return. The remains of Green Boots are the only ones found among these three climbers. Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa, founder of Nepal-based Everest Sherpa Expedition, stated that Green Boots' remains have served as a reference point for climbers on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest.

Sherpa told reporters it would require a highly trained team of 10 people and up to a week to recover the body. He also said that the operation could not be attempted until spring due to current weather conditions. The remains are located at approximately 27,000 feet, an altitude within Mount Everest's "death zone," which begins above 26,200 feet.

Sherpa said that such a mission involves danger for everyone involved. "For the whole rescue team this is high risk," Sherpa said. He added that when climbers communicate with basecamp or other climbers, they indicate their proximity to the location by saying, "When they communicate with the basecamp and other climbers, they say, 'Okay, we are now very close to the Green Boots.'" More than 200 bodies are believed to remain on Mount Everest, and Sherpa stated, "My opinion is we must bring them down."