Pakistani officers say three climbers who went lacking earlier this month whereas trying to scale the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, are actually thought-about lifeless
ISLAMABAD — Three climbers who went lacking earlier this month whereas trying to scale the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, ought to now be thought-about lifeless, Pakistani officers stated Thursday.
The announcement brings closure to a dramatic tragedy on one of the crucial harmful mountains to climb on the earth. K2 had by no means been scaled in winter till solely final month, when a Nepalese staff reached the height.
The three climbers — well-known Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara in addition to Jon Snorri of Iceland and Juan Pablo Mohr of Chile — misplaced contact with their base camp whereas trying their ascent of the 8,611-meter (28,250-foot) excessive K2, typically known as “killer mountain.”
Search efforts for the lacking climbers had been referred to as off final week amid dangerous climate. Clouds, robust winds and snow had made earlier search-and-rescue operations too harmful — for each mountaineers on foot in addition to helicopters.
Sadpara’s son, Sajid talking at a information convention alongside officers, instructed reporters within the northern city of Skardu on Thursday that he was grateful authorities had achieved their greatest to attempt to discover the group, which went lacking on Feb. 5.
“I consider they scaled it however had an accident whereas coming down,” stated the youthful Sadpara, who had began the climb together with his father however was compelled to name it off and descend after his oxygen tanks malfunctioned. He thanked the general public for the help his household had acquired all through the ordeal, saying it “gave an immense energy to me, to my sister, to my brothers and my mom.”
A press release from the households of Snorri and Mohr was additionally learn out on the information convention, thanking Pakistan and its navy for facilitating the search, reported Pakistan’s English-language Daybreak newspaper.
“Based mostly on the final identified contact by John Snorri’s phone, we’re assured that each one three males made it to the highest of K2 and one thing occurred on the descent,” stated the assertion. “Ali, John and Juan Pablo will reside without end in our hearts.”
Karrar Haidri of the Pakistan Alpine Membership instructed The Related Press that the climbers’ dying was a terrific loss. “We ae very unhappy over the tragic demise of all of the three climbers,” he stated, including that authorities had used helicopters and porters to attempt to recuperate the our bodies however that even these efforts had failed.
In winter, winds on K2 can blow at greater than 200 kph (125 mph) and temperatures can drop to minus 60 levels Celsius (minus 76 Fahrenheit). In one of many deadliest mountaineering accidents ever, 11 climbers died in a single day attempting to scale K2 in 2008.