Royal Air Force Commander feared dead during summit in Pakistan's Karakoram Range

ISLAMABAD — Britain's Wing Commander Gordon Henderson is feared dead days after he went missing during a mountaineering expedition on Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world, located in the Karakoram Range in Northeastern Pakistan.

As Pakistan's savage mountain K2 garnered attention for record number of summits in a single day, a series of dramatic and still unclear events occurred on neighboring Broad Peak.

Gordon Henderson Kim, who was a part of the British Services Mountaineering Expedition, went missing around six days ago.

Royal Air Force has not declared him dead yet however, officials suspect he is no longer alive amid harsh weather and no resources at the peak standing at 8,051 metres above sea level.

A statement issued by Royal Air Force said they were "deeply saddened" by the news. "Our thoughts are with Wing Commander Henderson's family, friends and colleagues at this dreadful time," RAF said.

The Royal Air Force also urged for family’s privacy in hard times, adding further speculation is unhelpful.

Meanwhile, tributes have been pouring in from friends, family, and the public while the mountaineering community termed the news ‘devastated’.

The recent development comes as another Romanian mountaineer was said to be fighting for his life on the 8,000-metre peak. Canadian climber Richard Cartier was last spotted while descending from Camp 2 to Camp 1.