GILGIT: The body of climber Murad Sadpara, who died after being injured in an accident on Broad Peak, was transported to Skardu by a Pakistan Army helicopter on Monday.

Mr Sadpara was working as a guide for a Portuguese female climber during her summit of Broad Peak — the world’s 12th highest mountain at 8,051 metres.

On Sunday, Mr Sadpara was hit by a rock near Camp 1 on the mountain when his team was returning after abandoning their summit due to bad weather conditions, according to mountaineer Naila Kiani, who posted on Facebook seeking the army’s help to rescue the injured climber.

After Ms Kiani’s post, a Pakistan Army helicopter dropped two climbers from Skardu for the rescue mission. His body was found at 6am on Monday, Ms Kiani told Dawn.

Climber died of injuries sustained after being ‘hit by a rock’ while descending Broad Peak

According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) secretary, Karrar Haidri, the rescue efforts were delayed by poor weather conditions on the mountain.

Condolences

After the news of his death, messages of condolences poured in from fellow mountaineers and political leaders.

In a post on Facebook, Ms Kiani said she was “heartbroken”.

“The climber who rescued many others and brought Hassan Shigri’s body from K2 bottleneck is lost too soon,” wrote Ms Kiani, who led the team which retrieved the dead porter’s body earlier this month.

She also claimed that rescue efforts were affected due to “administrative delays”. Ms Kiani called for the revision of SOPs for handling such accidents to avoid delays in future.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, expressed his grief over Mr Sadpara’s demise and conveyed his sympathies to the bereaving family. He hailed the climber’s efforts in the field of mountaineering.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended his condolences to the deceased’s family.

GB Chief Minister Gulbar Khan called Mr Sadpara a “brave adventurer” and said his services for mountaineering would always be remembered.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2024