Ali Sadpara, two other mountaineers missing on K2 declared dead
Missing climbers Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Iceland's John Snorri
Sigurjónsson and Chile's Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto were officially declared dead
on Thursday in a press conference attended by the families of the climbers in
Skardu.
Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Minister Raja Nasir Ali Khan and
Ali Sadpara's son, Sajid Sadpara, were also present at the briefing.
The three climbers were last seen on Feb 5 near the
Bottleneck on K2 as they attempted to reach the summit of the Savage Mountain.
Sajid Sadpara, who was accompanying the three, had to abandon his summit bid
after his oxygen regulator malfunctioned and he returned to camp 3.
Bad weather thwarted multiple attempts to search for the
missing climbers, though the efforts continued.
A Feb 14 update on the search mission said that the
"leads — taken after scrutinising satellite images, using SAR technology
and checking testimonials and timings — turned out to be a sleeping bag, torn
tents or sleeping pads, none of which belong to these climbers."
"The overwhelming love and support for the 'national
hero Ali Sadpara' has given immense strength to me, my sister, brothers, and my
mother. My family and I have lost a kindhearted person and the Pakistani nation
has lost a brave and great adventurous individual who was passionate about
climbing," an emotional Sajid said.
Stressing that the outpour of love from Pakistanis offered
his family great support in a tragic time, Sajid said that he will follow his
father’s footsteps and continue to climb.
Citing experienced climbers, Sajid said he believed his
father and the other two mountaineers made it to the summit of K2, but met with
an accident on their way down. He was with them but unfortunately, he had to
descend because he felt unwell and his oxygen equipment had issues.
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