- Army coordinating operation to rescue stranded mountaineers Shehroze Kashif, Fazal Ali.
- Helicopters and a ground search team employed for rescue.
- Both mountaineers headed towards Camp 2, says Kashif’s father.
RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army said Thursday it was coordinating — for the last 24 hours — a high-risk rescue operation to evacuate stranded mountaineers Shehroze Kashif and Fazal Ali who are stuck at Nanga Parbat.
A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that army aviation helicopters and a ground search team — comprising high-altitude porters and rescuers — are employed to rescue the mountaineers.
The Pakistani mountaineers had gone missing two days back while descending the summit of Nanga Parbat but were traced a day earlier. The mountaineer duo had separately summited the Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest peak in the world, on Tuesday.
Pakistan army aviation pilots, in a daring attempt, flew two helicopter missions despite bad weather conditions but couldn’t pick up the mountaineers due to dense clouds and very high altitude, the military’s media wing said.
“Meanwhile, the ground search team is also nearing the stranded mountaineers who are currently at Camp-3 at a height of 21,000 feet. The army aviation pilots will fly again today subject to weather conditions as the ground team attempt to rescue the mountaineers to Camp-2,” it added.
Kashif’s father told Geo News earlier today that his son — during a brief chat from the base camp — has informed him that they were moving towards Camp 2.
