ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army has rescued Estonian climber Saama Marie who injured her leg whilst attempting to climb the Nanga Parbat mountain in the country’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, state broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV) News said on Sunday.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s tallest mountains that loom above 8,000 meters, including K2 and Nanga Parbat, known for their treacherous climbs. Nanga Parbat is one of the world’s tallest mountains standing at 26,660 feet. It is situated in the Pakistani-administered sector of the Himalayan Kashmir region.
Marie last updated followers on her Facebook account on June 9 that she had camped on the slope of Ganalo at the Nanga Parbat mountain at an altitude of 4,900 meters. There had been no update from her since then.
In a video shared by PTV News, two men can be seen carrying an injured Marie to a Pakistan Army helicopter from the snowcapped mountain.
“I have a leg injury and I have currently escaped by [the help of] Pakistan Army helicopter, taken from Nanga Parbat base camp to Skardu hospital,” she said from the helicopter.
PTV News confirmed in a post on social media platform X that the Estonian climber had been shifted to Skardu for medical treatment.
The development takes place a day after local officials confirmed the body of one of two Japanese climbers, reported missing earlier this week, was found at the 7,027-meter Spantik peak in Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday.
Authorities launched a search operation for the other Japanese climber.
Pakistan’s mountains attract climbers from all parts of the world. According to official figures, over 8,900 foreigners visited the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2023 where the summer climbing season runs from early June to late August.