According to police, one Austrian climber was killed and another was wounded after being trapped in a landslide in northern Pakistan on Thursday.
They were hiking in Shimshal valley, a popular tourist attraction in the picturesque Gilgit-Baltistan area bordering China, when they were hit by an avalanche.
The Austrian couple, who were accompanied by a local guide, were returning from a trip when the avalanche struck, Hunza Police Chief Zahoor Ahmad told Anadolu Agency via phone.
The accident injured a female climber and another guide. Both are considered to be safe, according to Ahmad.
Feineler Elias, 28, and Kerber Ramona, 25, were confirmed as the deceased and wounded victims, respectively. They were taken to Base Camp.
The expedition was supposed to return to Base Camp on October 4, but it was delayed owing to severe weather.
Gilgit-Baltistan has five peaks that are higher than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft), including the world’s second-tallest mountain, K-2.
Every year, hundreds of climbers from all over the world visit the area. Expeditions, on the other hand, often meet with mishaps, resulting in fatalities and injuries, owing to difficult terrain and unpredictable weather.
In July 2021, Pakistan’s renowned climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Iceland’s John Snorri, and Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr were murdered while trying to conquer K2.
In 2018, another Austrian mountaineer, Christian Huber, was killed when an avalanche hit climbers’ tents at a height of 5,900 metres on Ultar Sar Peak in the Hunza valley during a heavy storm.
