GILGIT/ISLAMABAD: Three climbers — Pakistan’s Muhammad Ali Sadpara, John Snorri from Iceland and Jp Mohr Prieto from Chile — summited K2 (8,711m) in winter on Friday.

However, one climber from Bulgaria lost his life while descending camp 3.

Three mountaineers from two groups successfully climbed K2 while 19 others failed to do so.

The successful climbers had started moving up the most important, most difficult and most technical part of the peak at midnight on Thursday.

The 22 climbers, including Muhammad Ali Sadpara and his son Sajid Sadpara, from the two expedition groups had started ascending the peak from base camp on Wednesday.

Bulgarian mountaineer dies while returning to camp

The climbers had arrived at camp 2 on Wednesday evening and after a night stay, they resumed the mission on Thursday morning, reaching camp 3 in the evening.

According to a statement released by the expedition, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, his son Sajid Sadpara, John Snorri from Iceland and one climber from SST, Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto of Chile, left for the final summit attack at midnight between Thursday and Friday, aiming to reach the summit in 14 hours.

However, 18 members of the SST climbers decided to abandon the mission.

They spent Thursday night at camp 3 and started descending to the base camp on Friday morning.

Chhang Dawa Sherpa, the team leader of SST expedition, said weather and winds were supposed to be fair till early morning on Friday.

Eighteen climbers returned from camp 3, but one from Bulgaria fell to his death.

On Friday, the Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed the death of a foreign climber on K2, the second in three weeks.

“Bulgarian climber Atanas Skatov fell to his death and came to rest in an inaccessible place near Camp 2. A rescue helicopter has taken his body, together with his fiancée, who was in Base Camp, back to Skardu,” said ACP Secretary Karrar Haidri.

“Atanas Skatov was climbing with his Sherpa and was a few metres ahead when his safety rope snapped,” and he fell near Camp 3, Mr Haidri said.

Just three weeks ago, Spanish mountaineer Sergi Mingote died while climbing the world’s second highest mountain.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2021