Two Russian climbers, injured on the slopes of one of northern Pakistan’s highest mountains, reached a regional hospital on Thursday, a week after a harrowing incident left them stranded due to falling ice.
The climbers were part of a five-member Russian team attempting to reach one of Gasherbrum’s peaks to retrieve the body of a fellow climber who perished there last year. The team was struck by a pile of ice last Friday, leading to the injuries and subsequent stranding.
While rescuers managed to airlift two of the mountaineers on Monday, the remaining two were forced to stay at base camp due to severe injuries and inclement weather conditions until Wednesday. Akhtar Hussain, a police official in Skardu, reported that the injured Russians were transported by ambulance to a local hospital and are now in stable condition.
Muhammad Younas, one of the rescuers, mentioned that their mission faced significant challenges due to treacherous weather. The search for the missing Russian climber, presumed dead, was hampered by heavy snowfall obscuring the mountain paths.
Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed that climbers Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov are receiving top-notch medical care at a Skardu hospital. He also noted that the search for the fifth climber, Sergei Nilov, had been officially called off, as he is assumed dead.
Hussain mentioned that doctors have provided necessary treatments to the two injured climbers. “They are saddened by the death of their fifth colleague but are grateful to the Pakistani rescuers and the army for their life-saving efforts,” he said. He added that one climber required only minor medical attention, while the other sustained bruises on his arms and legs from the ice impact.
Haidri emphasized that the climbers were fully aware of the risks associated with their mission to retrieve their colleague’s body, who lost his life in 2023 attempting to scale the same peak.
Every year, hundreds of climbers attempt to scale the towering mountains in northern Pakistan, a region notorious for frequent avalanches and sudden weather changes. This month saw the tragic loss of 35-year-old Pakistani climber Murad Sadpara, well-known for his participation in high-altitude rescue missions. He died while descending from one of the tallest mountains in the north.
Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, borders Afghanistan.
