Mountaineer Samina Baig hospitalised, struggle with respiratory issues

GILGIT: Renowned mountaineer Samina Baig, who recently abandoned her mission to summit K2 due to severe breathing difficulties, has been shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Skardu.

Her evacuation took place days after she developed respiratory issues, according to her brother Mehboob Ali.

Baig was co-leader of an eight-member Pakistan-Italy joint women’s K2 expedition team. As part of the Italian Alpine Club’s K2-70 mission, the team reached K2 basecamp on June 28 and was acclimatizing themselves.

In a conversation with HUM News English, Ali said Samina Baig began experiencing respiratory problems on Tuesday. Dr Lorenza Pratali, a German doctor accompanying the team, advised an immediate descent to a lower altitude and recommended hospitalisation.

Mehboob Ali said that the team at the base camp promptly contacted army aviation, requesting an urgent rescue operation for the ailing mountaineer. However, the rescue team did not initiate any operation until Friday. Throughout this period, Baig’s condition deteriorated, and she had to rely on supplementary oxygen.

In response to the delay, the expedition team decided to transport Baig to Askoli via horse.

Accompanying her on this arduous journey were her brother, a few Pakistani porters, and fellow climber Amina Bano, who is also a member of the K2-70 expedition. The group embarked on a trek that lasted over two days, eventually reaching Basu village below Askoli. It was here that an army Aviation helicopter finally arrived and airlifted Baig to CMH Skardu.

“We can’t term it a rescue; it would have been a rescue if it was done from the base. It was a four-hour drive to Shiger when the helicopter reached,” Ali remarked, expressing his frustration over the delayed response. He added that people at the base camp had informed him that an air rescue was feasible as there were several clear weather windows during the period. However, army aviation cited bad weather as the reason for not making any rescue attempts earlier.

When inquired about her current health status, Ali mentioned that Baig still suffers from breathing problems but is no longer on supplementary oxygen. Doctors from Agha Khan Hospital in Gilgit and military doctors from CMH are assessing her condition and will determine further medical action.

Hailing from Shimshal Valley, Samina Baig is the first Pakistani female mountaineer to summit the world’s highest peaks, Everest and K2. She has also successfully summited Nanga Parbat and the Seven Summits across seven continents.