Impending Tragedy on K2?

It appears tragedy has struck again on K2, the second highest mountain in the world and the most difficult of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks to climb. K2climb.net reports that many climbers are stranded and unaccounted for on the upper slopes of the mountain after being trapped above an almost vertical 300-foot-long ice couloir called The Bottleneck after an ice collapse below the summit severed a lot of fixed ropes. It is unknown how many climbers are up there but some international media report that as many as seven have died. There is, however, only one confirmed fatality, that of Serbian climber Dren Mandic who apparently fell over 2,000 feet above Camp IV before the ice fell and was subsequently buried by his team members.

It appears that most of the expeditions, including Norwegian, Dutch, French, Italian, Serbian, Korean, Pakistan and Nepali climbers, left Camp IV on August 1 during a spell of good weather. Many made the summit but became trapped during the descent after the serac collapsed. K2climb.net says, “Dutch Norit Base Camp manager Roeland hurried to the Korean expedition tent organizing a joint rescue effort. A group of at least six climbers were supposed to climb towards the Bottleneck with rope.” They also report that most of the mountaineers are “very seasoned” and most had previously climbed Mount Everest and other high peaks.

The weather continues to be okay, which bodes well for the rescue attempt. The big problem is that all of the climbers are now on their third day above 8,000 meters, which is often called the Death Zone. The body and mind can only function in that oxygen-deprived zone for so long before severe physical problems, including high altitude pulmonary edema and hypothermia, set in.

Stay tuned for what happens over the next couple days and send good thoughts and prayers to our fellow mountaineers on the other side of the globe.

Photo above: K2, in the Karakoram Range in Pakistan, is the second highest mountain in the world. Photograph © Getty Images.