Pakistani mountaineer Asif Bhatti is stranded at the 8,126-metre-tall Nanga Parbat — the ninth-highest mountain in the world — due to snow blindness, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said on Monday.
“He is stuck at camp 4, at an altitude of 7,500-8,000m, with snow blindness and needs help,” ACP Secretary General Karrar Haidri said.
Bhatti, who is a university professor from Islamabad, was proceeding to the final summit of the peak when he got stranded.
According to Haidri, several outfits were attempting the peak and some of their members had conveyed the message that Bhatti was suffering from snow blindness.
“A helicopter will be needed to pick him up but for that, he will have to come down to the altitude of around 6,000-6,500m,” he added.
Bhatti, along with other mountaineers Lt Col (R) Dr Jabbar, Dr Naveed, Saad Muhammad and Faheem Pasha, had departed for the expedition a few days back. “His other team members have not yet begun their final summit push,” Haidri added.
Separately, Karakoram Club — an organisation working for adventure tourism in Pakistan — said a group of climbers from the Karakoram Expedition in Shimshal were preparing for a rescue operation to retrieve Bhatti.
“They are currently waiting for a helicopter to transport them to the higher camps,” it added.
Climber Shehroze Kashif has also volunteered to become a part of the rescue mission. “I kindly request the relevant department to consider transporting me to either the base camp or even to higher camps for increased involvement,” he said.
Many climbers have been attempting to summit the peak this year. On Sunday, at least 52 mountaineers, including 11 Pakistanis, scaled Nanga Parbat.
With a death probability of 21 per cent, Nanga Parbat continues to claim its place among the top five most dangerous mountains in the world. Until now, 85 climbers have died while attempting to summit the peak.
