Pakistani mountaineer Iftikhar Sadpara dies in avalanche during K2 expedition

Pakistani mountaineer Iftikhar Hussain Sadpara lost his life while a foreign climber sustained injuries when their four-member international expedition team was caught in an avalanche that struck the K2 peak on Friday, said a report.

According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), the avalanche hit around 12:30pm on Friday and affected four climbers in total. Two climbers managed to return safely to base camp, while one foreign mountaineer suffered minor injuries.

However, Iftikhar Hussain Sadpara, a climber from Skardu, lost his life in the incident. His body was recovered and brought back to base camp shortly after the incident.

According to the Alpine Club, the Pakistan Army deployed a helicopter to transport the deceased’s body from base camp to Skardu, where he will be laid to rest in his native village.

K2, standing at 8,611 metres above sea level, is the second-highest peak in the world, attracting a host of local and foreign tourists.

Last summer, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) authorities issued a total of 175 permits to climbers aspiring to conquer the mountain, despite the treacherous climb and harsh weather conditions.

The senior vice president of the ACP, Karrar Haidri, said at approximately 12:30pm on Friday, an avalanche struck Camp 1 on K2, located about 500m above the base camp. Four climbers were caught in the avalanche.

"A foreign climber sustained minor injuries, while two others successfully returned to the Advance Base Camp,” Haidri said in a statement. However, high-altitude porter Iftikhar Hussain from Sadpara in Skardu lost his life in the incident.
Hussain’s body has since been recovered and brought down to the base camp, the ACP official added.

The other climbers were Dawa Finjo Sherpa and Dawa Geljen Sherpa from Nepal, and high-altitude porter Niaz Ali from Skardu. The international team was returning from Camp 2 during their rotation for the summit at the time of the incident.

The expedition outfitter submitted a formal request to ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad and Askari Aviation for a helicopter operation to repatriate the deceased following the incident.

The request was approved by the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters on humanitarian grounds. Haidri said the body is being airlifted by the Army Aviation and transported to Sadpara in Skardu.