Indian Army claimed that one of its mountaineering teams has sighted the footprints of the Yeti, a legendary snow being believed to reside in the Himalayas. "For the first time, an Indian Army mountaineering expedition team has sited mysterious footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32×15 inches close to Makalu base camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past," the Army's Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) said in a tweet on Monday night along with couple of images of footprints in ice. The Army is expected to release some photos and videos on Tuesday in support of the claim.

An Army source said the claim was based on physical proofs including "on-the-spot narration, photos and videos". According to Nepali folklore, the Yeti is a mythical ape-like creature that resides in the Himalayas, Central Asia and Siberia.

The "Yeti's" footsteps measured 2.6 feet, the ADGPI tweet said. A footstep is the distance between one foot print and the next during a normal walk. The average length of the foot step of an adult male human being is said to be around 2.5 feet.

For decades, the mysterious giant snowman has fired the imagination of adventurers and mountaineers venturing into the Himalayan slopes. The scientific community has, however, not bought into these claims. The Indian Army's claims could potentially fire another round of debate over mystical Himalayan giant.