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Spantik Peak body retrieval halted by heavy snowfall
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Culture & Society

Spantik Peak body retrieval halted by heavy snowfall

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Efforts to retrieve the body of Pakistani climber Dr. Asma Mushtaq from Spantik Peak have been halted due to heavy snowfall.
  • Dr. Mushtaq died at an altitude of 6,250 meters from high-altitude sickness while descending the 7,027-meter peak.
  • The Alpine Club of Pakistan is coordinating the recovery operation and investigating the circumstances of her death, noting Pakistan's lack of a dedicated high-altitude rescue system.

Recovery efforts for Pakistani climber Dr. Asma Mushtaq on Spantik Peak have been suspended due to severe snowfall, leaving her body at an altitude of approximately 6,400 meters. Dr. Mushtaq, 34, died on Thursday from high-altitude sickness while descending the 7,027-meter peak in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The recovery team departed on Saturday and reached Camp 2 today, but operations have been halted due to heavy snowfall.

— Alpine Club of PakistanDescribing the halted recovery efforts due to weather conditions.

The recovery team reached Camp 2 but was forced to return to Base Camp, awaiting a favorable weather window. A mercy mission for helicopter rescue, with support from the Pakistan Army, was also in progress. The operation is coordinated by Dr. Mushtaq's expedition company, in collaboration with the tourism department, local government, and the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

The team has been advised to return to Base Camp and wait for a suitable weather window.

— Alpine Club of PakistanExplaining the immediate next steps for the recovery team.

The ACP stated that the circumstances of Dr. Mushtaq's death and the expedition company's conduct will be thoroughly investigated once the teams are safely down and the body recovered. The club clarified its role as Pakistan's national mountaineering federation, not a dedicated rescue organization, and highlighted the country's current lack of a proper high-altitude rescue system.

The circumstances surrounding her death, as well as the conduct and response of the expedition company, will be fully investigated once the teams are safely down and her body has been recovered.

— Alpine Club of PakistanAddressing the planned investigation into the incident.

Under its new leadership, the ACP is working with authorities to develop an effective rescue framework and improve mountaineering infrastructure. The club urged the public to refrain from spreading misinformation and emphasized that the safe and dignified recovery of Dr. Mushtaq's body is the top priority. Helicopters cannot retrieve bodies from altitudes above 6,000 meters, necessitating ground recovery to base camp.

Pakistan currently lacked a dedicated and properly established high-altitude rescue system.

— Alpine Club of PakistanHighlighting a systemic issue in the country's mountaineering support.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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