Prominent Pakistani mountaineer descends to death

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – A Pakistani mountaineer was killed while descending from the 8,047-meter (26,400 feet) Broad Peak, raising the tally of climbers who died in Pakistan this year so far to six, an official told Anadolu on Monday.

Murad Sadpara was severely injured and later died during his descent when a loose rock struck him on the head a few days ago, said Karrar Haidri, the secretary-general of Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country’s official mountaineering body.

Despite the urgency of the situation, rescue efforts were hampered by the harsh conditions on the mountain, leading to a delay, Haidri added.

Sadpara was part of a successful mission involving multiple local and foreign climbers to bring back the body of a high-altitude porter, Hasan Shagri, from Broad Peak in northern Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) region, which is home to five of 14 highest peaks in the world.

Shagri had fallen from a narrow trail while attempting to ascend 8,611-meter (28,251-foot) K2, the world’s second tallest mountain, during an expedition last year. His body, however, could be brought back last week by the rescue team.

Sadpara was widely recognized last year when he successfully retrieved the body of an Afghan mountaineer from K2.

The latest casualty occurred days after two Japanese climbers, who fell from K2, were officially declared dead.

Another three Japanese climbers were also killed while trying to scale the 7,027-meter (23,054 feet) Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, in alpine style in June and July.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​