Massive Avalanche Kills Mountaineer Above K2’s Basecamp

Friday afternoon, July 18, a massive avalanche on Pakistan’s notorious K2 claimed one life and left several others injured. Often called the “Savage Mountain,” K2 has earned its fearsome reputation for danger. The nickname was cemented in 1953 when American climber George Bell remarked, “It’s a savage mountain that tries to kill you.” Among the world’s five highest peaks, K2 has long stood out as the deadliest—until 2021, roughly one climber died for every four who summited.



Related: [VIDEO] Italian Climbers Narrowly Escape Huge Avalanche on K2





The senior vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), Karrar Haidri, told Pakistani newspaper Dawn that at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Friday, an avalanche struck Camp 1 on K2, located about 1,500 feet above the base camp. Four climbers were caught in the avalanche. “A foreign climber sustained minor injuries, while two others successfully returned to the Advance Base Camp,” Haidri said. The team included Nepali climbers Dawa Geljen and Dawa Finjo Sherpa, along with high-altitude porter Niaz Ali from Skardu. They were descending from Camp 2 during a summit rotation when the avalanche hit.



Related: Father & Son Lost in Avalanche on Pakistan’s 28,250-Ft K2



Tragically, high-altitude local porter Iftikhar Hussain, from Sadpara in Skardu, lost his life in the incident. Hussain was apart of the Boulder, Colorado-based guiding service Mountain Professionals. At this time, details about the circumstances of his death remain limited.



Ryan Waters, CEO of Mountain Professionals, confirmed the news to ExplorersWeb in an interview. “Hussain, one of the porters supporting our team, who was contracted through a local partner, tragically lost his life. We are deeply saddened by this loss, and our thoughts are with his family and the local climbing community in Pakistan. Our international guide and clients were at Base Camp at the time of the incident and are all safe. Some of our support team members were higher on the route. Everyone from our team, including climbing Sherpas, has returned to Base Camp and is accounted for. As this situation is still developing, we are continuing to gather accurate information from our team. We understand there is wide interest and will be able to share more once we have confirmed details and have connected with all the appropriate parties.”



Related: French Climber Smashes K2 Ascent Record in Half





Iftikhar Hussain’s body and Finjo, the injured Nepali climber, were brought from the K2 base camp to Skardu by Army Aviation helicopters on Saturday. The remains of Hussain were handed over to his family in the region for proper burial.

Hussain’s death is a sobering reminder of the unforgiving nature of high-altitude mountaineering, especially on peaks like K2, the savage one. As commercial expeditions continue to grow, often pushing into marginal weather windows, the burden falls heaviest on local porters and guides. If any good is to come from this loss, it may be a renewed call for stricter safety standards and greater accountability to protect those who make these climbs possible.



 

 

 

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