ISLAMABAD: Three climbers stranded on Pakistan’s Rakaposhi mountain while descending were rescued on Wednesday, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.
Czech climbers Jakub Vicek and Peter Macek and Pakistani Wajidullah Nagri were stranded on Camp 3 on Rakaposhi at a height of 6,900 meters (22,640 feet) since September 8.
“Pakistan army aviation [helicopter] recused them today [Wednesday] and now they are in Gilgit,” Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told Arab News. “One of the Czech climber has some frostbites and is being treated, while other Czech climber and Pakistani Wajidullah Nagri are fine.”
Rakaposhi, the world’s 27th highest peak, is part of the Karakoram mountain range located in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The Pakistan army this week made several rescue attempts but could not succeed due to bad weather. On Tuesday, food supplies and ropes were dropped for the stranded climbers from the height.
Minister for tourism for the government of Gilgit Baltistan, Raja Nasir Ali Khan, said in a tweet this week the Czech mountaineers had started the ascent without government permission.
“We do expect from everyone going on to such expeditions to comply with laws and regulations for their own safety and wellbeing in the face of emergencies,” Khan’s tweet read.
In a separate tweet on Tuesday, the regional minister said repeated emergencies on high peaks during climbing seasons had produced the need to establish a high altitude rescue team.
“So, we’re going to create one, that’s trained, equipped with essential technologies and be timely deployed anywhere there’s a need,” Khan said.
