Three climbers are missing trying to climb the summit of K2, the second highest mountain in the world and one of the most dangerous, said the organizer of their expedition and the Pakistani Alpine Club on Saturday.
The three climbers - John Snorri (Iceland), Juan Pablo Mohr (Chile) and Muhammad Ali Sadpara (Pakistan) - lost contact with the expedition's base camp on Friday.
"It has now been over 30 hours since we (at base camp) heard from John Snorri, Ali Sadpara and Juan Pablo Mohr, since none of their GPS beacons seem to be working," Chhang Dawa said. Sherpa, organizer of the expedition, in a statement.
Already two deaths
A Pakistani army helicopter went in search of the three climbers.
“Unfortunately they can't spot anything and conditions on the mountain and even at base camp are deteriorating,” he added.
Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Pakistan Alpine Club, confirmed to AFP that the three climbers are missing.
On Friday, a Bulgarian climber had a fatal fall on K2.
Atanas Skatov, 42, fell when changing ropes during his descent to base camp, according to Seven Summit Treks, which organized the expedition.
He is the second person to have lost his life in recent weeks while attempting the ascent of K2, which culminates at 8,611 m.
Last month, 49-year-old Spanish mountaineer Sergi Mingote was killed on K2 following a fall also on his way back down to base camp.
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There are many risks involved on this mountain, where more than 80 people perished, against nearly 450 who successfully climbed it.
A great first this winter
In January, ten Nepalese climbers successfully completed the first winter ascent of K2.
Winter conditions on the K2 are terrible, with winds reaching up to 200 km / hour and temperatures occasionally dropping to -60 degrees Celsius.
This explains why this mountain is much less frequented than Everest, which thousands of climbers of all ages have managed to climb.
But because of the border closures due in particular to the pandemic, there are few other prestigious massifs accessible at the moment and no less than four roped parties totaling 60 climbers who converged this winter on the K2.
