GILGIT: The body of the first climber from Afghanistan, who died at K2 camp 3 last year, has been recovered and repatriated to his native country.

A six-member team of climbers from Skardu participated in the mission, marking the first instance of a body being brought back from K2.

In July of last year, 34-year-old Ali Akbar Sakhi, the first Afghan climber, was part of an expedition team attempting to scale K2, but he reportedly died at camp 3.

Abid Sadpara, son of the late Hassan Sadpara, led the expedition which included team members Sadiq Sadpara, Ali Musa, Arif Sadpara, Murad Ali Shagri and Abdin Shagri.

Challenging rescue at 7,200m led by Hassan Sadpara’s son, Abid

Abid Shigri told Dawn that the operation to recover and bring back the Afghan climber’s body was conducted with the support of the Pakistan Army.

This is a significant accomplishment, as it has never been achieved before due to the immense challenges of the task. K2 is already an extremely difficult peak to conquer, and the climbing and descending are technically demanding endeavors, compounded by unpredictable weather, rock falls, and steep routes.

He said that up to now, at least 586 climbers, including both local and international climbers, have lost their lives on K2 during summit attempts since 1952.

Abid Sadpara said that the local team successfully completed the mission in six days, discovering the body at an altitude of 7,200 metres. They fixed new ropes to facilitate bringing the body down. He said that this unique search and rescue operation wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the Pakistan Army.

Transferring the deceased Afghan mountaineer’s body from the base camp to the CMH Skardu was facilitated by an army helicopter. The body was then handed over to the family and later transported to Islamabad via a PIA flight before being sent back to Afghanistan. Every movement on K2 is perilous; bringing down a body from an altitude of 7,200 metres is an incredibly daunting and risky task that has not been accomplished in the past.

Despite efforts to involve skilled Nepalese climbers, they declined due to the complexity of the task. The body was found to be well-preserved.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2023