Recovery efforts underway for dead climbers
Print Edition
Efforts are being made to recover the bodies of two Chinese climbers, who are presumed dead after being hit by an avalanche while trying to scale a peak on Liligo Glacier in the Hunza area of Pakistan鈥檚 north Gilgit Baltistan region.
The two climbers are from Chengdu and Hong Kong.
A fellow climber, who was at base camp when his colleagues were overwhelmed, confirmed that the pair鈥檚 last contact was on June 15.
All three were alpine climbers, whose aim is to reach the summit of a mountain. In order to do this, high rock faces or pinnacles must be ascended which requires several lengths of rope.
The climber from Chengdu was also a mountaineering photographer, who had received an award at the Nanshan International Mountain Film Festival.
He had planned to film the expedition in Pakistan in order to shed more light on the Karakoram area for Chinese climbers.
Military rescue efforts
According to the surviving climber, his teammates set out from base camp on June 14 and had planned to return the following day.
After nearly two days of silence, he called the Pakistani military for help on June 17.
Meanwhile, one of the victims鈥 friend, A Zuo, a Chinese alpine climber who had been following the expedition from China, contacted the Chinese embassy in Pakistan.
The local military launched three helicopter rescue missions. The rescue team found sleeping bags and personal items belonging to the missing pair at an avalanche track, and assumed the climbers鈥 bodies were inside the sleeping bags.
The rescuers headed back to the site at 5,300-meter altitude on June 22 to recover the bodies, only to find the area had been hit by another avalanche.
Sources from the Pakistani military said they were waiting for the weather to improve before starting a fresh salvage operation.
A group of Chinese volunteers, A Zuo included, have arrived in Pakistan with the consent of one of the climbers鈥 families.
A fundraising event is also being launched in China to help cover the costs incurred by the use of military helicopters.
Ishaq Ali, a local tour operator, said that Pakistan鈥檚 northern areas are emerging travel destinations for adventure lovers from China, who enjoy visiting the country for mountain climbing, trekking and cycling.
Before 2015, the number of Chinese visiting the country for adventure tourism was negligible, he added.
According to A Zuo and the surviving climber, the Karakoram area saw more snow this year than in previous years, which may be the cause of the increasing frequency of avalanches.
Local sources confirmed that the military helicopters also rescued an Italian team which was hit by an avalanche on June 18.
(The climbers鈥 names were omitted at the request of their families.)
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