Pakistani mountaineer Asma Mushtaq dies while descending Spantik Peak

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani woman mountaineer died after suffering a medical emergency while descending Spantik Peak in the Karakoram mountain range, a trekking company said on Thursday.

“Asma Mushtaq, who had successfully reached the 7,027-metre summit of Spantik, developed a serious high-altitude medical problem at an elevation of about 6,400 metres during the descent,” according to a statement by Karakoram Calling Treks.

Mushtaq had climbed the peak with her mountain guide Akbar Ali and was reported to have been in good health when she reached the summit.

Her guide and another expedition guide, identified as Muhammad Amin, provided assistance in difficult weather and high-altitude conditions after she fell ill, the trekking company said.

“Despite all efforts and the assistance provided at the site, Asma Mushtaq could not survive,” the company said in a statement.

The company said that its guides made every possible effort to rescue and protect Mushtaq following the incident.

It added that it was in contact with the relevant authorities and Mushtaq’s family to complete the necessary arrangements.

Spantik, also known as Golden Peak, rises to 7,027 metres in the Karakoram range in Gilgit-Baltistan and is a prominent destination for mountaineering expeditions in northern Pakistan.

The death comes during Pakistan’s summer climbing season, when mountaineers and trekkers travel to the country’s high-altitude peaks, including those in the Karakoram.

Karakoram Calling Treks expressed condolences to Mushtaq’s family, friends and relatives and praised the guides for their efforts in difficult conditions.

Earlier, the body of mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, who went missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan last month, has been recovered by local porters, bringing the number of missing climbers from the disaster down to one.

Three porters from Shigar — Abuzar Ali, Muhammad Bashir and Muhammad Nadeem — located and retrieved Sakhi’s body on their own after spending several hours working through the snow and debris without modern rescue equipment.

The porters recovered the body from the avalanche site and moved it to a safe location, according to local sources.

Sakhi was among 10 mountaineers who went missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain, on July 30.

The 8,051-metre peak is located in the Karakoram range of Gilgit-Baltistan and is regarded as one of Pakistan’s most technically challenging mountains.

Following the avalanche, search and rescue teams launched an operation to locate the missing climbers. The bodies of eight mountaineers were subsequently found, while Sakhi and a Nepali climber remained missing.

The recovery of Sakhi’s body means one Nepali mountaineer is now the only climber from the group who remains unaccounted for. The search for the missing climber is continuing.

Alpine Club of Pakistan spokesperson Naila Kiani also confirmed the recovery of his body in a social media post.

The disaster also claimed the life of renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, one of the world’s best-known high-altitude climbers. Purja, who was 43, had been among the climbers caught in the avalanche while on an expedition on Broad Peak.

Elite Exped, the company organising the expedition, had earlier confirmed Purja’s death, expressing “profound sadness and immense heartbreak” over the loss of the celebrated mountaineer and other members of the expedition.