GILGIT: Two Russian climbers rescued from the altitude of 6,400 metres on Gasherbrum IV (7,925m) were finally airlifted to Skardu on Thursday.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) appreciated the role of local rescue team members who risked their lives to save the stranded climbers.

Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were part of a five-member Russian team who started their attempt to ascend Gasherbrum IV on August 4 to retrieve the body of their fellow climber Dmitry Golovchenko, who went missing there in 2023.

On August 17, however, the Russian team was hit by a snow avalanche at 6,400m. As a result, two of the climbers got stranded after being injured while two others, Alexy Bautin and Evgeni Lablokov, remained unhurt and were later rescued by the army and airlifted to Skardu on Sunday.

One of their partners, Sergei Nilov, who went missing has lost his life, the rescued climbers announced.

According to ACP Secretary Karar Haidri, the rescue operation was carried out by a dedicated team of Yousuf Ali, Mohammad Ali, Ghulam Abbas and Mohammad Younus from Baltistan and Evgeni Lablokov from Russia.

The team members were dropped by Army helicopters at an altitude of 6,000 metres on Monday.

Renowned climber Naila Kiani told Dawn that Mohammad Younus and Ghulam Abbas played a vital role in rescuing the stranded climbers. She said Younus and Abbas reached 6,400 metres despite the challenging weather and snow avalanche risks on Tuesday while the other members remained at the advance base camp as backup members. The two team members brought down the climbers to 6000 meters the same day.

Ms Kiani said Mikhail Mironov had a minor injury and travelled himself with the help of the rescue team; however, Sergey Mironov was not able to move and pulled through ropes by putting him in a sleeping mat.

On Wednesday, helicopters couldn’t operate due to bad weather conditions.

On Thursday morning, the Army helicopters flew from Skardu and airlifted the climbers to Skardu. The four Russian climbers reached Islamabad on a PIA flight from Skardu on Friday.

A tour operator told Dawn that the condition of both the climbers was stable. Mikhail Mironov was admitted to the regional headquarters hospital Skardu where doctors said he had a fracture in his spinal cord.

The ACP secretary said despite their best efforts the team was unable to locate Sergei Nilov. He appreciated the bravery of the team in saving the injured stranded climbers. It is rare to rescue injured climbers from a high altitude, he added.

The rescued climbers appreciated the role of the Army and local rescue team members for their efforts to save their lives from the dangerous zone.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2024