A Russian climber has gone missing, and two others are critically injured and stranded after a tragic incident on the 26,000-foot Gasherbrum IV mountain in northern Pakistan this week, officials confirmed on Sunday. A rescue mission will be launched as soon as weather conditions permit.
The five-member Russian team, including Sergei Nilov, Mikhail Mironov, Alexy Bautin, Sergei Mironov, and Evgeni Lablokov, embarked on a mission to Gasherbrum IV to retrieve the body of Dmitry Golovchenko, another Russian climber who went missing on the same mountain in 2023.
Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, reported that an ice formation, possibly a serac, collapsed on Saturday, triggering a “catastrophic event” for the climbers.
“Sergei Nilov is currently missing, and his status remains unknown,” Haidri said, adding that the chances of his survival “hang in the balance.”
“Tragically, two climbers sustained severe injuries in the incident,” he added. “Their condition is critical, and there is little hope they will survive beyond the next day, further darkening an already grim situation.”
Akhtar Shigri, a police official responsible for foreign climbers in the northern Shigar district, stated that Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov are stranded on the mountain with serious injuries.
Meanwhile, Bautin and Lablokov were safely airlifted by a Pakistan Army helicopter to Skardu on Saturday evening. “Today, the helicopter is also waiting for favorable weather to search and rescue the other three climbers,” Shigri said.
Hajji Ghulam Muhammad, CEO of Blue Trek and Tours, which organized the expedition, mentioned that the injured climbers were in contact with the rest of the team. However, their serious injuries prevented them from descending, as they were climbing in alpine style.
Nilov, the missing climber, had previously survived a near-fatal fall from the same mountain in September last year with Golovchenko. Nilov made it back to the base camp and was rescued by helicopter, but Golovchenko went missing.
Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, home to some of the world’s highest peaks, is a popular destination for tourists and climbers. However, these expeditions often turn tragic. Last week, Pakistani mountaineer Murad Sadpara died from head injuries while descending Broad Peak Mountain in GB.
This summer, five Japanese climbers and a Brazilian paraglider also lost their lives in separate incidents in Pakistan’s Karakoram mountain range.
