Pakistani climbers retrieve body of porter from K2 bottleneck after a year

ISLAMABAD: A team of Pakistani climbers, led by Naila Kiani, this week recovered the body of a Pakistani porter from K2 bottleneck, a leading Pakistani mountaineering club said on Saturday, a year after his tragic death that grabbed international headlines.
On July 27, 2023, a disturbing drone footage went viral on social media, showing Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her Nepali guide Tenjin Sherpa walk past injured Hassan Shigri on K2, the world’s second highest peak, instead of stopping and helping him.
Harila and her guide were on their way to become the world’s fastest climbers by scaling all the 14 highest peaks above 8,000 meters in 92 days. The footage was taken by two other climbers, Austrian Wilhelm Steindl and Philip Flaemig from Germany, whose ascent had been canceled that day owing to bad weather.
The disturbing footage showed the climbers stepping over the body of Shigri, who later died during Harila’s ascent. The 38-year-old Norwegian climber later rejected the accusation of deliberately ignoring Shigri and contended she and her team “did everything we could for him at the time.”
Kiani, a UAE-based Pakistani climber, led a mission to recover Shigri’s body with the help of a team of high-altitude climbers on an emotional appeal made by the family of the late Pakistani porter.
“A historic milestone has been achieved. A team of dedicated high-altitude porters (HAPs) successfully retrieved the body of Muhammad Hassan Shigri from the Bottleneck of K2 at an incredible 8,200 meters, safely reaching advance basecamp,” the Alpine Club of Pakistan, which arranges expeditions on various Pakistani peaks, said in a statement.
“This unprecedented rescue, the first of its kind on K2 from such a high altitude, concluded on 31st July at approximately 6:30 pm.”
Kiani utilized her ongoing clean-up project at K2 to swiftly organize the humanitarian mission and the team executed the critical operation by using existing infrastructure and a favorable weather window.
Kiani, the first Pakistani woman and the third Pakistani overall to climb 11 of the world’s 14 highest peaks above 8,000 meters, is part of the Climb2Change initiative by Mashreq, a leading financial institution in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which aims to clean up 14 of the world’s mightiest mountains, reaching seven peaks and base camps of the remaining seven mountains.
Members of the team that retrieved Shigri’s body included Dilawar Sadpara, Akbar Hussein Sadpara, Zakir Hussein Sadpara, Mohammed Murad Sadpara and Ali Mohammed Sadpara.
Shigri’s tragic death highlighted an urgent need for better training, equipment and ethical standards in mountaineering. The mission not only aimed to provide a dignified burial to Shigri but also showcased exceptional skills and dedication of Pakistani high-altitude climbers, underscoring the need for improved mountaineering education and safety protocols.
After being brought to the advance base camp on July 31, Shigri’s body was airlifted by a Pakistan Army chopper to Dassu, close to his village of Tissar in the Shigar district of Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region and handed over to his family on Thursday.
“I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Naila Kiani and her incredible team of mountaineers. Their bravery, dedication, and humanitarian spirit in the face of extreme challenges embody the true essence of mountaineering,” Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said in a statement.
“This historic rescue mission on the 70th anniversary of K2’s first ascent not only honors the memory of Muhammad Hassan Shigri but also sets a new standard for ethical and responsible climbing. We are immensely proud of their achievements and commitment to improving mountaineering standards in Pakistan.”
K2 was first summited on July 31, 1954 by Italian climbers Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. The expedition was led by Ardito Desio and included Pakistani army colonel Muhammad Ataullah, Hunza porter Amir Mehdi and prominent climber Walter Bonatti.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s tallest mountains that loom above 8,000 meters, including K2 and Nanga Parbat that are known for their treacherous climbs.
According to official figures, over 8,900 foreigners visited the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2023 where the summer climbing season runs from early June till late August.