GILGIT: The Pakistan Army has launched an operation to rescue Murad Sadpara, a climber from Skardu, who met with an accident on the Broad Peak on Sunday morning, according to the military’s media wing.

He was working as a guide for a Portuguese female climber during her summit of Broad Peak when he slipped at an altitude of around 5,000m, according to Pakistani mountaineer Naila Kiani, who sought army’s help to rescue Mr Sadpara.

She told Dawn that the Portuguese climber had hired the services of Mr Sadpara and a Nepali sherpa for her summit. The team was returning from the summit when Mr Sadpara fell near Camp 1 during bad weather conditions.

Soon after the accident on Sunday morning, Ms Kiani posted on her Facebook account, seeking the army’s help to rescue the injured climber.

“Murad Sadpara, our top climber and a true legend who helped retrieve the body of Hassan Shigri from K2 bottleneck last week, has met with an accident on Broad Peak and urgently needs rescue,” Ms Kiani wrote while referring to a mission she led earlier this month to retrieve the body of a porter who had died on K2 last year.

Ms Kiani requested the army to send four climbers from Skardu to Broad Peak’s “crampon point” to rescue Mr Sadpara.

“Please keep Murad in your prayers for a safe return to Skardu,” she added.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, an Army Aviation helicopter has dropped two experienced climbers at the Broad Peak base camp to rescue Mr Sadpara.

Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haideri told Dawn that Mr Sadpara’s family and Ms Kiani had sought help from the army.

He expressed the hope that the two rescuers would approach the ailing climber in the morning.

Mr Haideri also thanked the army for its prompt action in rescuing the climber.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2024