ISLAMABAD- A Canadian national who was attempting to climb Mount K2 hasfallen to his death, officials said Saturday.
The 53-year-old was between camps 2 and 3 on the notoriously challenging8,611 metres (28,251 feet) peak when the accident happened, an officialfrom Gilgit-Baltistan told news agency AFP.
His death was confirmed by Sakhawat Hussain of Summit Karakoram, the tourcompany that organised his trip.
Hussain said that he had received notification from the base camp that theCanadian “had fallen to his death and his body has been moved to advancebase camp”, adding that he was in contact with family members.
K2 is the world’s second highest peak and looms over the Karakoram range.
Also known as the “Savage Mountain”, it is often deemed a more challengingclimb than the highest peak, Mount Everest.
It was first summited in 1954. Since then, just 306 people have made it tothe top, while 80 have died trying, according to the 8000ers website.Advertisement
Nestled between the western end of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush mountainsand the Karakoram range, Jammu and Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan has 18 of theworld’s 50 highest peaks.