ID :
14923
Tue, 08/05/2008 - 15:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/14923
The shortlink copeid
Climber: 11 killed after avalanche on Pakistan's K2
Islamabad, Aug 5 (PPI) - Eleven climbers died on Pakistan's K2 mountain after an ice avalanche knocked down a fixed rope climbers were using to reach the summit, a mountaineer at their base camp said. Pakistan's K2 is second highest peak in the world.
Among dead was a sherpa who had gone up K2 - world's second tallest mountain - to help in rescue efforts, said mountaineer Fredrik Strang, who also assisted in rescue attempts.
The deaths happened after 17 climbers, in different expeditions from around the world, had come together to make it to K2's peak on Friday, said Pat Falvey, a climber in Ireland who was in touch with some of the 17.
As 17 were descending early Saturday, a "moving river of ice broke loose ... like iceberg breaking loose from a glacier," knocking down fixed rope group had been using to move from higher reaches to a camp at a lower altitude, Falvey said.
The rope's collapse caused three climbers to fall to their deaths, said Falvey, who was posting online updates for one of expeditions.
Two climbers decided to go on and managed to return to base camp, but rest decided to wait and hope rescuers could reach them, Falvey said.
The avalanche had created "icy, dangerous conditions" on the slope, Falvey said. As time went on and rescuers didn't come, remaining climbers decided to continue their descent, but some of them fell to their deaths in the mountain's "bottleneck" area, Falvey said.
The rest eventually were helped down by rescuers, Falvey and Strang said. Falvey and Strang said survivors told them what had happened but were not immediately in condition to speak publicly.
Among killed climbers were Dutch, Irish, Italian, French, Norwegian, Korean, and Nepalese citizens, Falvey said. One of them was Irish climber Gerard McDonnell, Falvey said.
The bodies of 11 may never be recovered, but rescuers and mountaineers who made it down are certain 11 are dead, Strang said.
The site of accidents, about 5 miles up the mountain, is what climbers call "Dead Zone" because body would never recover if stuck in such freezing conditions with so little oxygen, Falvey said.
Strang said deaths could have been avoided. Too many people were climbing together "at a very slow speed" and should have begun their descent sooner. "Coming down at dawn, in dark, with little oxygen is very, very dangerous."
Though K2 is the world's second-highest mountain, many climbers consider it more technically challenging than Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.
Statistics suggest this was deadliest incident at K2. About 66 people - not counting those in latest incident - have died on the mountain since 1939. Some 284 climbers reached summit of K2.
Among dead was a sherpa who had gone up K2 - world's second tallest mountain - to help in rescue efforts, said mountaineer Fredrik Strang, who also assisted in rescue attempts.
The deaths happened after 17 climbers, in different expeditions from around the world, had come together to make it to K2's peak on Friday, said Pat Falvey, a climber in Ireland who was in touch with some of the 17.
As 17 were descending early Saturday, a "moving river of ice broke loose ... like iceberg breaking loose from a glacier," knocking down fixed rope group had been using to move from higher reaches to a camp at a lower altitude, Falvey said.
The rope's collapse caused three climbers to fall to their deaths, said Falvey, who was posting online updates for one of expeditions.
Two climbers decided to go on and managed to return to base camp, but rest decided to wait and hope rescuers could reach them, Falvey said.
The avalanche had created "icy, dangerous conditions" on the slope, Falvey said. As time went on and rescuers didn't come, remaining climbers decided to continue their descent, but some of them fell to their deaths in the mountain's "bottleneck" area, Falvey said.
The rest eventually were helped down by rescuers, Falvey and Strang said. Falvey and Strang said survivors told them what had happened but were not immediately in condition to speak publicly.
Among killed climbers were Dutch, Irish, Italian, French, Norwegian, Korean, and Nepalese citizens, Falvey said. One of them was Irish climber Gerard McDonnell, Falvey said.
The bodies of 11 may never be recovered, but rescuers and mountaineers who made it down are certain 11 are dead, Strang said.
The site of accidents, about 5 miles up the mountain, is what climbers call "Dead Zone" because body would never recover if stuck in such freezing conditions with so little oxygen, Falvey said.
Strang said deaths could have been avoided. Too many people were climbing together "at a very slow speed" and should have begun their descent sooner. "Coming down at dawn, in dark, with little oxygen is very, very dangerous."
Though K2 is the world's second-highest mountain, many climbers consider it more technically challenging than Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.
Statistics suggest this was deadliest incident at K2. About 66 people - not counting those in latest incident - have died on the mountain since 1939. Some 284 climbers reached summit of K2.
