NEW DELHI: Malli Mastan Babu, one of India’s top mountaineers, is missing after he went on a climb up the high mountains between Argentina and Chile. Governments of both countries have sent out rescue teams to look for Malli, who is regarded as the fastest “7 summiteer” in the world, that is, fastest to climb summits in all seven continents.According to his sister, Dr Malli Dorasanamma, Malli went with his friends to climb the Ceros moutains . He apparently began his ascent from the Argentina side and was dropped off at the base camp on 24th March. “It appears that from the base camp he set off alone. The rain worsened after he left. He was supposed to return on the 24th, but did not. The area gets a lot of rains and floods.”The others waited and later mounted a quick search party to search the Argentinian side of the mountains. Dorasanamma said while they found some other mountaineers, Malli was not among them.Amarendra Khatua, Indian ambassador to Argentina told TOI, “we are already in touch with the governor of Mendoza and Consul General of Chile in Mendoza. Ceros is frontier mountains between Chile and Argentina. Mastan Babu seems to have been on the Argentina side of the range. The teams are trying to locate him from both sides. Pray for the best. The range is rocky and windy and filled with crevasses.”The Indian ambassador to Chile, Rajendran too has been in touch with Mastan Babu’s sister. She said she was informed on 26th March by Mastan Babu’s friend Hernan Agusto Parajon. By then, she said, the rescue teams were out.Dorasanamma said Mastan babu’s friends around the world have also started a fund-raising campaign so they can aid the rescue campaign in South America. The Indian Mountaineering Federation has also been pressed into service and they have been connecting with their counterparts in both these countries. The search she said is now concentrating on the Chilean side of the Ceros mountains. He was booked on a flight back to India on March 28th.Mastan Babu is an alumnus of IIM, Calcutta and IIT-Kharagpur. Wing Commander Amit Chaudhury of the Indian Mountaineering Federation said he used to be in touch with Babu, and knew him to be one of the fastest summiteers in the world.