Efforts to find missing K2 climbers halt due to harsh weather

(Karachi) The family of missing climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara has decided to proceed with their rescue mission after intensive search-and-rescue efforts came to a halt due to bad weather, local media reported on Tuesday.

As per details, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, John Snorri from Iceland and JP Mohr from Chile lost contact with the base camp on Friday and were reported missing on Saturday after their support team stopped receiving communications from them.

Ali Sadpara’s long-time friend Rao Ahmad and his son Sajid Sadpara along with British-American climber, Vanessa O’Brien, who also serves as Pakistan’s Goodwill Ambassador and summited K2 with Snorri, have formed a virtual base camp to ensure a thorough search-and-rescue effort.

O’Brien released a statement on behalf of the families of John and Pablo, thanking everyone who expressed interest in their climb and concern for their wellbeing.

The families have requested the Pakistan government continue to provide search and rescue support, weather permitting.

A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the search and rescue mission for the three climbers will continue on Tuesday once the weather improves and all resources at the disposal of the military have been mobilised.

The ISPR said that all air and ground efforts are being utilised as the search and rescue mission enters the fourth day, acknowledging that due to the high altitude and extreme weather conditions, the search mission was facing difficulties. But he added that "no stone will be left unturned" and that the search will continue.

Earlier, the son of Ali Sadpara, Sajid Sadpara returned to the base camp after he was sent back from an altitude of 8,200 meters owing to a malfunction in his oxygen regulator.

Talking to the media after the end of second-day rescue mission in Skardu, Sajid said that the three climbers may have had an accident while descending from the K2 "Bottleneck", considered the most dangerous route of the entire expedition.

"There is no hope to live [under such harsh conditions] for three straight days," Sajid said. “When I returned from Bottleneck at 8,200 metres, they were climbing up the Bottleneck at 11AM [on Friday]. I’m sure they made the K2 summit and on their way back they may have had an accident, that’s why they are missing,” he added.