- Four climbers caught in avalanche on Friday afternoon.
- Two climbers reach base camp safely after incident.
- Army helicopter airlifts Iftikhar Hussain’s body to Skardu.
A Pakistani mountaineer has died after an avalanche struck near Camp 1 on K2, the country’s highest peak, a local mountaineering club said on Saturday.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), the avalanche hit around 2:30pm on Friday and affected four climbers in total. Two climbers managed to return safely to base camp, while one foreign mountaineer suffered minor injuries.
However, Iftikhar Hussain Sadpara, a climber from Skardu, lost his life in the incident. His body was recovered and brought back to base camp shortly after the incident.
According to the Alpine Club, the Pakistan Army deployed a helicopter to transport the deceased’s body from base camp to Skardu, where he will be laid to rest in his native village.
President ACP Major General Irfan Arshad expressed his condolences to the bereaved family, friends, and fellow mountaineers. He assured the family of full support and called the loss a profound tragedy for Pakistan’s climbing community.
Senior Vice President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Karrar Haidri, also expressed grief over the loss and paid tribute to Iftikhar Hussain’s commitment and contributions to the sport of mountaineering.
Adventurous climbers consider Pakistan a significant mountainous location as the country hosts five of the world’s 14 mountains above 8,000 meters — thus eight-thousanders. However, some mountaineers in their challenging endeavours face dire situations and sometimes even death.
Earlier in 2021, well-known Pakistani climber Mohammad Ali Sadpara and two others went missing when they attempted to scale the K2 mountain. They were then officially declared dead by the authorities.
K2 is located around 10 kilometres north of Gasherbrum IV in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, where the Karakoram mountain range is located. It is one of the deadliest mountains in the world as many climbers have lost their lives trying to reach its peak.
