ISLAMABAD: Pakistani mountaineers Naila Kiani and Sirbaz Khan aborted their quest to summit mountain Shishapangma after an avalanche killed four people near the summit, Kiani’s Facebook account said on Saturday.
A massive avalanche swept the climbing route at Shishapangma, the 14th highest mountain in the world, located at 8,027 meters above sea level in Tibet. As per media reports, American woman climber Anna Gutu and her guide Mingmar Sherpa were killed in the avalanche when it struck on Saturday afternoon.
Gina Marie, another climber from the US, and her guide Tenjen (Lama) Sherpa, were reported missing after the incident. However, a statement from Kiani’s Facebook account confirmed Marie had also been killed.
“We share with great sadness that 2 avalanches have caused the death of 4 climbers close to the summit of Shishapangma, leading to the aborted mission of Naila and Sirbaz,” a lengthy statement on Kiani’s Facebook account read.
“They are now both back at camp 1, very shaken and distressed after witnessing the avalanche take the lives of their very own friends @ginamarierzucidlo and @anyatraveler,” the post added.
Kiani and Khan left for Shishapangma on Friday, Oct. 6. A successful summit would have meant Khan would have become the first Pakistani climber to have summited all 14 eight-thousanders in the world and Kiani would have become the first woman to summit her 11th one.
On Saturday morning before the avalanche struck, Kiani’s X account said she and Khan were “a few hundred meters away” from the summit.
“Prayers for our heroes with the green flags on Shishapangma!” her account wrote on X.
On Monday, Kiani and Khan became the first Pakistani climbers to summit Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest mountain in the world which stands at 8,188 meters above sea level.
