At Least 11 Dead on K2

“11 Dead and 6 Missing After an Avalanche on K2” is today’s headline on the Spanish newsite Gara.com. The Spanish report, generally unconfirmed in American media and websites, says three Koreans, two Pakistanis, two Nepalese, and a Serb, Dutch, and Norwegian all perished and that another six climbers are still missing on K2, the world's second highest mountain. The New York Times reports that at least nine climbers died, including five South Koreans.

At this time details are still sketchy and confusing because of incomplete and conflicting reports coming from all the K2 expeditions. Still most foreign news outlets agree with the Spanish story and report multiple fatalities on the mountain. The BBC News Online says at least nine climbers died and more have either died or are trapped high on the mountain after Friday’s avalanche swept away fixed ropes.

The great mountaineer Reinhold Messner told the BBC that the situation was “very critical” and that those trapped above The Bottleneck may have to descend the other side of the mountain. BBC correspondent Syed Shoaib Hasan says 22 climbers were high on K2 when the avalanche occurred. Rescue by the Pakistani military is just about impossible. Helicopters could drop supplies but couldn’t land let alone fly at that altitude without extreme risk. Any climbers that are still alive are undoubtedly in extreme peril due to the high elevation, lack of oxygen, and low temperatures.

One of the missing is 37-year-old Gerard McDonnell, the first Irishman to summit K2. McDonell, along with two other members of the Norit K2 Expedition, are reportedly missing. Ireland’s president, Mary McAleese, sent condolences to his family, saying, "Following so closely on their righteous pride, and that of the country, at Gerard becoming the first Irish person to scale K2, it is truly heartbreaking that they must now contemplate the loss of a beloved son and brother.”

France 24 news website reports nine killed and 3 missing. Pakistani mountaineer Nazir Sabir who scaled K2 in 1981, told France 24, “I can confirm nine dead and three missing." Fredrik Stræng, a Swedish climber on K2 told TT, a Swedish news agency, “I have carried down both living and dead people from the mountain.” He said a Pakistani climber fell and landed on him. "I was terrified that he would pull us all off the cliff and screamed to him to use his ice axe, but he lost his grip and plummeted off a 300-meter cliff.” He also said many climbers left Camp IV on a summit attempt after the weather improved. He turned around however, “We had a feeling this would not turn out well and decided to turn around. The accident could have been prevented. These mountains lure out way too inexperienced and naive people."

The fatality rate on K2 is 27%. If you attempt K2 you have a 1 in 4 chance of dying up there. Of the 198 who have summitted the peak, 53 have died on the mountain. This is three times the 9% fatality rate on Mount Everest. Another bad day on K2 was August 13, 1995 when six died, including renowned alpinist Alison Hargreaves and the great American rock climber Rob Slater. It looks like the wrath of K2 has struck again.

Photo above: Gerard McConnell, first Irishman to climb K2, is missing and presumed dead on K2.
Photograph courtesy RTE News