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| August 9, 2005 | Tuesday | Rajab 3, 1426 |
Kasuri asks army to speed up climber’s rescue efforts
ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has directed the army authorities to provide fullest support in the evacuation of the world’s famous climber, Tomaz Humar, trapped on Nanga Parbat.
He made this assurance to Nazir Sabir, eminent mountaineer and president of Alpine Club of Pakistan, who called on the former to brief him on the latest situation of the trapped climber and the efforts being made to rescue him.
“Mr Kasuri spoke to military authorities and asked them to expedite the rescue operations,” Mr Sabir said.
The military authorities have assured the foreign minister that they would send a rescue team to the area on Tuesday.
Alpine Club executive vice-president Col (retired) Manzoor Hussain was also present on the occasion.
Mr Kasuri also spoke to the Interior Minister, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, and requested him to facilitate visit of helicopter or pilots arranged by the Slovenian government, a press release issued by the Nazir Sabir Expedition said.
The foreign minister also phoned his Slovenian counterpart and assured the “fullest support of the Pakistan government in this regard”, the press release said.
Pakistan would welcome and facilitate any logistical help in men or material arriving from Slovenia to expedite the rescue operations, Mr Kasuri said.
The press release said the rescuers were trying to reach the mountaineer trapped on August 5 on an icy perch over 6,000 metres high on the near vertical height of the Killer Mountain’s Rupal face.
Meanwhile, Mr Sabir appealed to the mountaineering community and mountain rescue experts to join hands to save the 36-year-old world renowned climber from imminent threat to his life.
“Snow, harsh winds and roaring avalanches have kept him tied down to the one-metre nook where he is bivouacked now since Thursday”, he told Dawn.
Because of high altitude, extreme cold, heavy moisture, insufficient food and immobility, he faces threats of hypothermia and frostbite which is already creeping on him according to Anda Perdan, his doctor at the base camp.
Army aviators have been making attempts to rescue the climber for the last two days.
An Allouette helicopter which flew to Astore on Saturday made two attempts on Sunday to reconnoitre the area and succeeded in filming the climber’s location.
“What is needed is a sturdy Lama to hang above the ledge and throw a rope of about 60 meter to carry Mr Humar off the death trap,” Mr Sabir said.
Weather conditions, according to a message received from the base camp of the 26,850-meter world’s ninth highest peak in the Himalayan range, in Diamer District, continue to remain bad. “It has been snowing since 10pm Sunday with no early clearing in sight”, Mr Sabir, the first Pakistani climber who scaled the Everest, said.
It is windy and cloudy, making it impossible for any attempt to rescue Mr Humar who continues to remain trapped for the fifth day running. Mr Humar’s food stock and radio batteries are running out. He cannot be in constant contact with the base camp because he only has four batteries left for his radio, Mr Sabir said.
“Hopefully when weather conditions improve after Tuesday more rescue attempts will be launched by the army aviators,” he added.
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