Bid to rescue Polish man, French woman on Pakistan peak to start Saturday

Record ID: 991053

  • Title: Bid to rescue Polish man, French woman on Pakistan peak to start Saturday
  • Date: 26th January 2018
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) HEAD OF POLISH WINTER HIMALAYAN PROGRAMME, JANUSZ MAJER, SAYING: "This Kinshofer Wall is generally difficult. A certain ease may be that in autumn this wall was defeated by Ali Sadpara, a good Pakistani climber, the one who has the first winter entrance on Nanga Parbat among other achievements and there should be fresh ropes that can still be used there. I hope that they will not grow strongly in ice. And if that was the case, men who have an initial acclimation there should move quickly and if they manage, they can reach Tomek in about a day and a half, I think." JANUSZ MAJER TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) HEAD OF POLISH WINTER HIMALAYAN PROGRAMME, JANUSZ MAJER, SAYING: "It is actually race against time. On the one hand, those who stay up over there, should be able to withstand. A big plus is that Tomek Mackiewicz, who has already been to Nanga Parbat in winter time seven times, has already spent many nights like these on such heights in crevasses in previous years and he has managed, and his body is used to it."
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2018 17:23
  • Keywords: climbers stuck at Nanga Parbat Pakistan peak Killer Mountain Tomasz Mackiewicz Elisabeth Revol
  • Location: KATOWICE, POLAND / VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON NANGA PARBET, PAKISTAN / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATIONS
  • City: KATOWICE, POLAND / VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON NANGA PARBET, PAKISTAN / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATIONS
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA0067ZR26H3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Head of Polish Winter Himalayan Programme said on Friday (January 26) operation to rescue climbers stuck on Nanga Parbat peak was a "race against time".
    Efforts to rescue a Polish man and a French woman stranded on a treacherous peak in northern Pakistan known to mountaineers as "Killer Mountain" are set to begin on Saturday (January 27).
    Tomasz Mackiewicz of Poland and Elisabeth Revol of France were attempting to ascend 8,126 metre (26,660 feet) Nanga Parbat in Pakistan's Himalayan mountain range. They got stuck at the 7,400 meter mark from where they used a satellite phone to call for help, spokesman for the Alpine Club of Pakistan Karrar Haidri told Reuters.
    Four members from a team of Polish climbers attempting the first winter summit of nearby K2, the world's second highest mountain, will assist in the rescue operation after a Pakistan Army helicopter picks them up from their base camp and flies them to Nanga Parbat.
    A GoFundMe web page set up to raise the estimated 50,000 euros ($62,000) required to pay for the rescue operation costs reached its target in four hours.
    In June a Spaniard and an Argentinean perished in an avalanche while trying to scale Nanga Parbat.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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