Pakistan has issued no warnings or restrictions on mountaineering expeditions, an official said Sunday, despite a spate of climbers’ deaths.
Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the government of Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern region home to some of the world’s highest mountains, said all climbers were well-aware of the harsh weather and other risks and challenges before their expeditions.
“Despite that, they willingly accept these challenges and come here to attempt these summits,” he said.
Faraq’s remarks come after Chinese climber Guan Jing, 37, died last Tuesday after being hit by falling rocks on K2, the world’s second-highest peak known for its treacherous slopes and extreme weather conditions. Her body was recovered by rescue teams on Saturday.
A picture of Chinese climber Guan Jing, who was killed on K2, the world’s second-highest peak. / Credit: M.H. Balti / AP
Jing’s death occurred several weeks after German mountaineer and two-time Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeir died while attempting to summit Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range. Efforts to retrieve her body were abandoned when Dahlmeier’s family informed authorities that she had stated that no one should risk their life to recover her body if she died in any accident.
Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered at the request of their families. But if the family declines a rescue, the remains are left at the spot where the climber died.
Faraq said authorities were trying to provide climbers with better infrastructure, rescue facilities, security and a friendly environment. Mountaineering expeditions are the backbone of the local economy, bringing in millions of dollars in direct revenue.
A large number of people work on these expeditions from May to September, feeding their families for the whole year with these earnings, he added.
Hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan every year. Accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden weather changes.
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