A Pakistani climber known for taking part in high-altitude rescue missions has died while descending one of the country’s highest mountains, authorities said Monday.
Murad Sadpara, 35, died of injuries sustained when a rock hit him on the 8,047-metre (26,400-foot) Broad Peak in the Karakoram range, said Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Pakistan Alpine Club.
Haidri said Sadpara had started the expedition with a Portuguese climber to climb the mountain last week, but the duo had to turn back when Sadpara’s partner fell ill due to the harsh weather conditions. He said the team was returning to base camp when the rock hit Sadpara.
Haidri said a rescue team was dispatched to evacuate Sadpara, but he died before medical help could reach him. His body is being brought down the mountain, Haidri said.
“His death is a stark reminder of the extreme risks involved in high-altitude climbing, where the line between life and death is often dangerously thin,” Haidri told AFP.
Haidri did not provide details about the Portuguese climber, saying only that she was safe and sound.
Sadpara climbed many mountains during his life, especially those in the north. K2 in Pakistanthe second highest mountain in the world, and the Pakistan Alpine Club has called it “a true legend in the mountaineering community.”
Just over a week before his death, Sadpara and four other teammates successfully recovered the body of Muhammad Hassan Shigri from the extreme altitude of 8,200 meters on K2 in a mission the Alpine Club described as the first of its kind on the world’s second highest mountain.
“He was instrumental in the recovery of Hassan Shigri’s body, demonstrating his bravery and dedication,” the Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a social media post. “Please keep Murad in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
A year earlier, Sadpara was part of a team that recovered the body of an Afghan climber from Camp 3 on the mountain, the first time a body had been brought back from K2.
Five foreign climbers have died in separate incidents on Pakistani mountains this summer climbing season.
The deaths come about two weeks after the deaths of two Austrian climbers attempting to reach a 2,500-metre peak in Italy’s Julian Alps. the bodies were hanging from their climbing ropes, still partially anchored to the side of the mountain, when they were found at an altitude of around 2,000 metres.
AFP contributed to this report.
