A Russian climbing team faced a perilous situation on Gasherbrum peak in Pakistan’s northern region when they were struck by a mound of ice. The Alpine Club of Pakistan’s secretary, Karrar Haidri, reported that a Pakistani army helicopter successfully rescued two of the Russian climbers, while another remained missing. Efforts were ongoing to retrieve the remaining two members of the team who were stranded after the ice calamity.

Haidri described the incident as a tragic disaster, detailing how the team was impacted by the collapsing ice formation, likely a serac, as they ascended the mountain. The climbers had been on a mission to recover the body of a climber lost on the same mountain in 2023 when the catastrophe unfolded. Despite the absence of a government warning regarding inclement weather, the climbers were taken by surprise when the ice mass descended upon them.

Tragedies similar to this are not uncommon in the northern mountainous regions of Pakistan, frequented by numerous climbers attempting to conquer the challenging peaks each year. The treacherous terrain often leads to accidents caused by avalanches and abrupt changes in weather conditions. Just recently, Murad Sadpara, a renowned 35-year-old Pakistani climber involved in high-altitude rescue operations, tragically lost his life during a descent from one of the country’s tallest peaks in the north.