The five climbers led by renowned mountaineer Kim Chang-ho and four local guides were found dead Saturday near their base camp located at an altitude of 3,500 meters on Mt. Gurja in western Nepal.

When the caskets, covered in white sheets, appeared from the terminal, the families burst into tears and consoled each other.

Some officials from the mountaineering club were spotted trying to hold back tears.

"We mourn their deaths as we think about the wonderful memories they had climbing the mountains," Lee In-jeong, chairman of the Union of Asian Alpine Associations said, shedding tears. "The living cannot speak to the dead. I just believe they would be climbing again."

Vehicles carrying the coffins left the cargo terminal to transport them to hospital mortuaries in Seoul, Uijeongbu and Busan, near the families' residences or their hometowns.

The University of Seoul, Kim's alma mater, will set up a memorial altar in the main hall over the next two days and will hold a joint funeral for the five climbers at 2 p.m. on Friday.

Their bodies were retrieved Sunday morning and were later transported to a hospital in Kathmandu.

The nine are believed to have died after strong winds swept them down a steep slope. One body was found right near the base camp, and the other eight at the bottom of the valley. (Yonhap)