2 injured Russian climbers rescued after 6 days stranded on Pakistan peak

ISLAMABAD (AP) — After six days stranded on a remote peak in Pakistan’s northeast, two injured Russian climbers were rescued, while another remains missing and is presumed dead, a mountaineering official said Wednesday.

The five-member team was attemping to climb one of Gasherbrum’s peaks to retrieve the body of a fellow climber who died there last year when it was hit by a pile of ice on Friday, officials said. Rescuers airlifted two of the mountaineers Monday, but more planning was needed to rescue the next two, who were unable to move because of their injuries.

An army helicopter, backed by local volunteers, helped rescue the two injured on Tuesday, said Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, adding that the third climber fell into a crevasse and couldn’t be located.

He said the fifth climber, Sergei Nilov, went missing during the avalanche and is presumed dead.

Haidri identified the rescued climbers as Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov, and said the rescue team included local climbers Yousuf Ali, Muhammad Ali, Ghulam Abbas and Muhammad Younus, and Russian climber Evgeni Lablokov.

The team was taken to 6,000 meters (19,685-foot) by the army helicopters, because the helicopters do not operate at higher altitudes.

Haidri said Wednesday the two Russians were moved from the peak to base camp and were in stable condition at a winterized tent. “A helicopter was set to transport them to the northern city of Skardu, but it could not fly due to bad weather,” he said, and that they were trying to find another way to get them to a hospital.

Haidri said an army helicopter with pilots is on standby to transport the Russians to Skardu.

The Russian team, which was not accompanied by guides, took an unusual route on Gasherbrum.

While Haidri acknowledged that the climbers were hit by the ice formation while “ascending the mountain for a noble cause,” he still warned against such endeavors.

“Climbers are fully aware of the dangers linked to such missions, but they still opt for dangerous and unexplored routes,” he said. “This is how climbers make records but also come across challenges.”

Hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan every year, and accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden weather changes. This month, a Pakistani climber Murad Sadpara, 35, known for taking part in high-altitude rescue missions died during a descent from one of the country’s tallest mountains in the north.