Mountaineer Mastan Babu's last rites performed with state honours

Ace mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu was on Saturday buried in his native village in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district with state honours as hundreds gathered to pay tributes and bid tearful adieu to him.

Babu died while scaling a mountain between Argentina and Chile last month.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu was among those who paid tributes to the 40-year-old.

"The last rites were performed with state honours in a family field in Gandhijana Sangam in Nellore district," a PTI report quoted a government official as saying.

Naidu said Babu's demise is a big loss to the nation.

Hundreds of people from surrounding villages gathered at Gandhijana Sangam to have a last glimpse of the son-of-the-soil, who figures in world record books for his mountaineering feats.

Babu's body arrived in Delhi from Argentina on Friday and it was later flown to Chennai in an Air India flight. His sister Dorassanamma accompanied the body, a PIB release had said.

There was delay in bringing the body to India due to inclement weather in Argentina's mountains, it said.

Babu, who had set a record of climbing seven summits across the seven continents, including the world's highest peak Mount Everest, left for Argentina towards the end of March and went missing, and was later found dead.

Naidu, who hails from Nellore district, had sought intervention of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to bring back the mountaineer's body.