Army helicopter rescues stranded mountaineers in Ishkoman Valley

Published June 18, 2019
Four Italian and two Pakistani mountaineers were stranded after being hit by a snow avalanche. — Photo courtesy ISPR/File
Four Italian and two Pakistani mountaineers were stranded after being hit by a snow avalanche. — Photo courtesy ISPR/File

A Pakistani mountaineering official said on Tuesday that an army helicopter has rescued four Italian and two Pakistani climbers stranded after being hit by a snow avalanche in the Ishkoman Valley.

A seven-member Pakistan-Italian friendship expedition comprising four Italian climbers led by Tarcisio Bellò, Nadeema and Shakeela, students of Karakoram International University, and a guide namely Mohammad Imtiaz from Shimshal valley, had started their adventure to climb an unknown 5,300-metre peak in Hindukush mountain range in Ishkoman valley on June 2.

On Monday, Mohammad Imtiaz, a Pakistani member of the expedition, was killed, while six, including foreigners, were injured by a snow avalanche.

Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club, told The Associated Press that the six rescued climbers were lifted on Tuesday to a hospital in Gilgit for medical treatment.

The climbers were at an altitude of around 17,390 feet in Ishkoman Valley in the Ghizar district.

Officials say all the rescued mountaineers were listed in a stable condition and none had life threatening injuries.

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

THE PTI claims to have “all the evidence” against what it asserts was a rigged election this February. The party...
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...