Bhubaneswar: A three-member team has been formed to bring back the body of Odisha mountaineer Kalpana Dash, who died at the balcony area of Mount Everest on May 23.

The team, comprising Kalpana's brother Pradeep, mountaineer Ganesh Jena and her relative Ranjit Karmi, left for Kathmandu today. The entire expenses of bringing back the body will be borne by the State Government.

Sports and Youth Services Department has written to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu in this regard and the concerned officials are in touch with embassy.

On the fateful day, Kalpana along with Kanchhi Maya Tamang from Nepal and Liyamu Ma from China made it to the summit point of Mount Everest. She breathed her last near the balcony area while descending from the summit point.

Hailing from Dhenkanal district in Odisha, Kalpana had climbed different peaks in India, Nepal, Europe, South America and Australia. She was the first woman from Odisha to scale Mount Everest.