Porter dies while waiting for rescue near K2 base camp

GILGIT: A high-altitude porter who had been unconscious at Concordia near K2 base camp since Saturday passed away on Sunday while waiting for rescue.

Porter Sher Muhammad, part of a K2 expedition, fell critically ill on Saturday and became unconscious. An urgent appeal was made to the Pakistan Army for a helicopter rescue, but timely assistance could not be provided.

Muhammad Umar, General Secretary of the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO), confirmed the news, stating that Sher Muhammad’s death was due to high altitude sickness, which often occurs at such elevations. “When the incident occurred, Sher Muhammad was at Concordia near the K2 base camp at an altitude of approximately 5,000 meters. The on-site medical team provided initial treatment, but he was not in a condition to be moved easily. We immediately requested a helicopter rescue from the army,” said Umar while talking to HUM News English.

Read also: Climber Samina Baig evacuated from K2 base camp over respiratory problem

He mentioned that porters are usually hired on daily wages and do not become permanent employees of any company. Tour operators coordinate with a porter leader to hire porters on a daily wage basis according to guidelines and wages set by the Gilgit-Baltistan government.

“Typically, porters do not have the same insurance coverage as foreign climbers, and we appealed on humanitarian grounds. The army approved the request, but due to bad weather, the helicopter could not reach in time. Sadly, he passed away early this morning,” he added.

Umar emphasised that porters come from poor backgrounds and cannot afford air rescue in case of an accident. He noted that the insurance provided by the Gilgit-Baltistan government is Rs0.2 million, which is not sufficient for rescue operations.

“The incident shows the need to increase insurance coverage for porters to at least Rs. 2 million, ensuring that their families receive adequate compensation in case of such tragedies. The government of Gilgit-Baltistan and the tourism department should take immediate action to address these issues,” said Umar.

HUM News English contacted an Askari Aviation correspondent, but they declined to give any statement to the media.

Reacting to the demise of a porter, ace mountaineer Naila Kiani urged the need for cheaper and more accessible air rescue services. “Every life matters. Make heli rescue accessible and cheaper for all, just like it is in Nepal,” she said in a social media post.

Mummified Remains of Climber Discovered on K2

Meanwhile, mummified remains of a climber that were found near K2 basecamp laid to rest on Sunday.
The remains were discovered by an Italian photographer who is part of the Italian Alpine Club’s “K2-70” mountaineering expedition on Friday evening.

“The photographer of the Italian Alpine Club’s ‘K2-70’ mountaineering expedition, Riccardo Selvatico, during a short walk between the Base Camp and the glacier, came across the now mummified human remains of a mountaineer,” the Italian Alpine Club said in a statement.

The club stated that expedition leader Agostino Da Polenza, doctor Lorenza Pratali, and some members of the expedition, along with the Italian liaison officer, conducted a reconnaissance to verify the presence of recognizable elements on the body on Saturday. “From the evaluation, it seems to be a young man and, from the state of mummification, the death could date back thirty to forty years,” the statement said.

The statement mentioned that the brand of the technical T-shirt suggests that the remains might belong to one of the Spanish climbers who died in 1987 during an attempt to open a new route on the left side of the Abruzzi Spur.

While talking to HUM News English, Arif Hussain Arif, a spokesperson for EvK2CNR Pakistan, the co-organizer of the expedition, said that initially, the expedition team thought the remains belonged to an Italian woman climber. However, the remains showed that it was a man, likely from 1987, as indicated by a date mentioned on his shirt.
On Sunday, in collaboration with the staff of the Central Karakoram National Park, the remains were removed from the glacier and placed at the Gilkey Memorial, where all climbers who died on K2 are remembered.

“The climber’s remains now rest in a crevice in the rocks, closed by stones engraved with the name ‘Bask’ indicating the climber’s probable origin,” the Italian Alpine Club said in an update on Sunday.
Gilkey Memorial is a pile of rocks where climbers who died on the mountain are commemorated with plates, sometimes including base camp dishes with their names engraved on them. The Gilkey Memorial was started after Art Gilkey passed away while climbing K2 on the first American K2 expedition in 1953. K2 has one of the deadliest records