KHAPLU, GILGIT-BALTISTAN: Pakistani mountaineer Murad Sadpara met an accident whilst attempting to summit the eight-thousander Broad Peak mountain, triggering calls for an urgent rescue effort from fellow climbers on Sunday.
Sadpara was part of a team of Pakistani climbers that last week recovered the body of a porter from K2 who had died at the treacherous mountain a year earlier.
Pakistani climber Naila Kiani wrote on Facebook on Sunday that Sadpara met an accident at Broad Peak located in northern Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.
“We’re requesting the Pakistan Army to send four climbers from Skardu to the Broad Peak crampon point to bring him back safely,” Kiani wrote.
Broad Peak is considered by mountaineers as one of the “safer” 8000-meter peaks around the world, with the route being more straightforward compared to the K2 mountain. It is the 12th highest mountain in the world standing at 8,047 meters or at 26,555 feet high.
“Please keep Murad in your prayers for a safe return to Skardu,” Abid Sadpara, a fellow mountaineer, wrote on Facebook. “Sadly resorting to social media as no one listens to us.”
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains that loom above 8,000 meters, including K2 and Nanga Parbat, which are known for their treacherous climbs. These mountains attract climbers from all parts of the world.
According to official figures, over 8,900 foreigners visited the remote northern GB region in 2023 where the summer climbing season runs from early June to late August.