Helicopter rescues 2 Italian climbers in Pakistan
By MUNIR AHMAD – 4 hours ago
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — A high-altitude rescue helicopter safely plucked
two stranded Italian climbers from one of the world's highest mountains on
Thursday, officials said.
Mountaineers Walter Nones and Simon Kehrer were in good condition after being
stranded some 21,600 feet up on Nanga Parbat Mountain, said Rashid Ahmad, a
representative of a local tour company that supported the Italians' expedition.
The men were being transported to the region's main town of Gilgit.
"As far as my information is concerned, they are in a good condition and they
don't need any immediate medical care," Ahmad told The Associated Press.
Nones and Kehrer had been struggling to descend from the 26,810-foot mountain
since July 16, when fellow climber Karl Unterkircher fell to his death in a
crevasse.
Askari Aviation, a military-run rescue service, confirmed the operation on
its Web site. It said rescuers spotted and rescued Kehrer first and then
retrieved Nones.
Mountain rescue official Ilyas Mirza said the climbers managed to descend
below 19,600 feet; thin air makes it too risky for helicopters to fly any
higher.
Bad weather prevented an attempt on Wednesday but two choppers flew to the
expedition's base camp on Thursday to try again.
The mountaineers may stay for a day or two in Gilgit before leaving for
Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, Ahmad said.
Nanga Parbat is the world's ninth-highest peak, and in the Urdu-language it
means "Naked Mountain." It is also known as "Killer Mountain" because many
climbers have died while trying scale it.
Northern Pakistan's spectacular mountains, including the world's
second-highest, K-2, are popular with international climbers.
In August 2005, a Pakistani army helicopter rescued a Slovene mountaineer,
Tomaz Humar, after he was stranded for a week on Nanga Parbat from a height of
22,000 feet. The army described it as one of the highest rescue missions ever.
Slovenia presented the two army pilots with the country's highest award for
bravery.
---------------------
|
Pakistan troops rescue climbers |
Nanga Parbat is one of the most dangerous mountains
in the world |
Pakistan's army has rescued two Italian mountaineers
stranded for 10 days on Nanga Parbat - one of the highest and deadliest
Himalayan peaks.
Climbers Simon Kehrer and Walter Nones got into difficulties on 15 July
when fellow climber Karl Unterkircher fell into a crevasse and died.
The two were stuck at about 6,600m (21,600 feet) above sea level.
Nanga Parbat is sometimes called the "Killer Mountain" because of the
problems it poses climbers.
'Safe'
"The weather had been bad but we have successfully rescued them after
they descended to about 19,000 feet today," army pilot Lt-Col Moinuddin
was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying.
"They are safe and physically fine," he said.
The pair were airlifted by helicopter to the northern town of Gilgit.
The 8,125-metre-high Nanga Parbat - in the west of the Himalayas - was
first scaled in 1953 but only after 31 people had died trying to reach the
top.
In July 2006, the body of one of Latin America's best known climbers,
Jose Antonio Delgado, was found on the mountain.
A year earlier, Pakistani troops rescued renowned Slovenian mountaineer
Tomaz Humar from Nanga Parbat after he spent six days stuck under a narrow
ice ledge.
|
Responder a este mensaje
