The Pakistan Army launched a rescue operation on Monday to save one missing and two injured Russian climbers from Gasherbrum IV, a towering mountain in the country’s north. The Alpine Club and an adventure tourism company expressed hope that the operation would be successfully completed today.
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, a Russian climber who went missing on the same mountain in 2023. However, tragedy struck again when Nilov went missing on Saturday, while Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were stranded on the mountain with serious injuries after encountering an avalanche.
Bautin and Lablokov were safely airlifted by a Pakistan Army helicopter to Skardu on Saturday evening, but poor weather conditions delayed the rescue operation for the remaining climbers.
“The army helicopter has departed from Skardu to rescue the Russian climbers,” Qamar Abbas Haldivi, operations manager for Blue Sky Trek and Tours, which organized the Russian expedition, told Arab News. “Four Pakistani high-altitude porters and one Russian climber are part of the rescue mission,” he added, noting that the Russian climber was one of the two evacuated to Skardu on Saturday.
Haldivi also mentioned that the injured climbers were in contact with the basecamp via satellite phone and that the Russian rescuer knew their location. “God willing, the injured climbers will be rescued today,” he said.
Karrar Haidri, general secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed that the search for the Russian climbers was underway. He explained that the army helicopter would drop the rescuers at the highest possible altitude, from where they would climb toward the injured mountaineers. “The injured climbers are still above 6,000 meters,” Haidri said. “They are trying to descend, but their legs and hands are fractured, making it difficult for them to move further down.”
The rescue team will attempt to bring the injured climbers to a location where they can be more easily airlifted by helicopter. “Prayers are needed as the area is extremely challenging for a rescue operation,” Haidri noted, adding that the rescuers were equipped with all necessary logistics for the mission.
Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, known for its high peaks and major tourist attractions, sees hundreds of tourists each year for expeditions, paragliding, and other sports. Unfortunately, these expeditions often end in tragedy. Last week, Pakistani mountaineer Murad Sadpara died from head injuries while descending Broad Peak Mountain. This summer, five Japanese climbers and a Brazilian paraglider also lost their lives in separate incidents in Pakistan’s Karakoram mountain range.
