Rescue Mission Underway After Ice Collapse Strikes Russian Climbers in Pakistan

Two Russian climbers were rescued by a Pakistani army helicopter after being hit by ice on a peak in the Karakoram range. Three other members of the team are still stranded. The ice collapse, potentially a serac, occurred suddenly, leading to a challenging rescue mission.

Two Russians have been rescued by a Pakistani army helicopter after their team was struck by a collapsing ice formation on a perilous peak in the country's northern region, an official reported on Monday.

Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed an ongoing rescue mission to safely retrieve two more climbers from the five-member Russian team stranded on Gasherbrum peak in the Karakoram range. The climbers found themselves in this precarious situation after an ice formation collapsed.

“Unfortunately, the expedition encountered a devastating disaster. As the team ascended the mountain, an ice formation, possibly a serac, collapsed, unleashing a catastrophic event,” Haidri detailed.

The rescue operation was initiated on Saturday after the massive ice fall struck the climbers, who were on a mission to recover the body of a climber lost on the same peak in 2023.

Haidri noted that there was no government advisory about bad weather, and the climbers were unexpectedly hit by the ice collapse. The region's mountains attract hundreds of climbers annually, but accidents are frequent due to avalanches and sudden weather shifts. Last week, noted Pakistani climber Murad Sadpara, renowned for high-altitude rescues, died during a descent on one of the country's highest peaks.