GILGIT: A local climber, Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain, lost his life after an avalanche struck during an expedition to K2 in Gilgit-Baltistan, the world’s second-highest mountain peak, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) and a local outfitter confirmed on Saturday.
ACP Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri stated that on Friday at approximately 2:30 PM, a tragic avalanche hit Camp 1 on K2, located about 500 meters above the base camp. Four climbers—Dawa Finjo Sherpa and Dawa Gelzen Sherpa from Nepal, and Iftikhar Hussain and Niaz Ali from Skardu—were caught in the avalanche.
“One foreign climber sustained minor injuries, while two others managed to return safely to the Advance Base Camp. Sadly, local climber Iftikhar Hussain from Sadpara, Skardu, lost his life in the incident. His body has been recovered and brought down to the base camp,” Haidri said.
The ACP SVP added that following the incident, the concerned expedition outfitter submitted a formal request to ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad HI (M) and Askari Aviation for a mercy helicopter operation to repatriate the deceased. Haidri confirmed that the request was approved by GHQ on humanitarian grounds, and Pakistan Army Aviation is now airlifting the body to Skardu.
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“Major General Irfan Arshad has expressed his condolences to the bereaved family, friends, and the mountaineering community of Iftikhar Hussain, and has assured full support during this time of profound loss,” he added.
Hussain, who summited Broad Peak (8,047m) last year, belonged to the famous Sadpara village of Skardu, which has produced some of the finest mountaineers, including the late Ali Sadpara and Murad Sadpara.
This marks the second deadly incident on Pakistani mountains this season. Earlier in June, renowned Czech mountaineer Klára Kolouchová died during her expedition on Nanga Parbat (8,125m), also known as the “Killer Mountain.”