Pakistan Army pilots have successfully rescued the two British mountaineers who were stuck in a snow avalanche at above 19,000 feet high Ultar Sar Peak near Hunza Valley of Gilgit Baltistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.
According to Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, director general of the ISPR, climbers Bruce Normand and Miller Timothy from the UK were rescued alive; however, Christian Huber from Austria did not survive.
Pakistan Army pilots in a daring mission rescued 3 foreign mountaineers stuck in snow avalanche at above 19000 feet high Ultar Sar Peak near Hunza. Bruce Normand & Miller Timothy from UK successfully rescued alive while Christian Huber from Austria had succumbed to avalanche. pic.twitter.com/z0OyaCE63H
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) July 1, 2018
British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Thomas Drew thanked Pakistan Army for this swift action, but regretted that Australian had already died in the avalanche.
A remarkable and dangerous rescue. Our gratitude to the Pakistan Army pilots who rescued two British climbers trapped by an avalanche on Ultar Sar Peak near Hunza. Our thoughts with their Austrian fellow climber who did not survive the avalanche. pic.twitter.com/WKfvkb0KcA
— Thomas Drew (@TomDrewUK) July 1, 2018
Tour operators and their agents confirmed to Pakistani media that Huber died in the incident while the two other mountaineers were injured but were out of danger.
The three-member expedition started in late May and was permitted to go till the first week of July. The team was being managed by Higher Ground Expeditions, a tour operating company in Hunza Valley. Huber, the Australian who died, according to sources was the president of the American Alpine Club.
Sources add that three groups of foreign climbers were currently trying to scale K2, the second highest mountain in the world, but its climb is considered far more challenging than the Mount Everest and climbers continue to face accidents. In January this year, volunteers rescued a French mountaineer stranded on a Himalayan peak but called off efforts to retrieve a Polish climber who was declared dead after a dramatic rescue effort.