Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Rescuers Pull 2 Off K2; Seek 3rd

Four others to be evacuated; death toll still unclear

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 4, 2008 7:37 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Two helicopters are on a mission to save an Italian climber and evacuate four others on the world’s second-highest peak, AP reports. Stranded on K2 after an avalanche, Marco Confrontola has “serious frostbite,” said a local official. Two Dutch climbers have already been rescued. Reports vary on the weekend climb's death toll, but a Pakistani minister said 11 were confirmed dead—"the worst" accident "on any of our peaks."

The outlook for the missing is bleak, said a US climber. “Once their hands and feet are frozen, they really are unable to move on their own power, and it takes other people to carry them down.”

This undated file photo provided by the Pakistan Tourism Office shows the world's second tallest peak, K-2, in Pakistan.
This undated file photo provided by the Pakistan Tourism Office shows the world's second tallest peak, K-2, in Pakistan.   (AP Photo)
A man climbs the North Ridge of K2 in the Xinjiang Province of China during the summer of 2000.
A man climbs the North Ridge of K2 in the Xinjiang Province of China during the summer of 2000.   (AP Photo/John Heilprin)
Italian mountaineer Karl Unterkircher in 2004 during an expedition on the Himalayan K2 Mountain. Unterkircher, 38, is reported dead.
Italian mountaineer Karl Unterkircher in 2004 during an expedition on the Himalayan K2 Mountain. Unterkircher, 38, is reported dead.   (AP Photo)
Italian mountaineers Simon Kehrer, left, and Walter Nones are seen at the base of Nanga Parbat Mountain next to a memorial for fellow climber Karl Unterkircher.
Italian mountaineers Simon Kehrer, left, and Walter Nones are seen at the base of Nanga Parbat Mountain next to a memorial for fellow climber Karl Unterkircher.   (AP Photo)
Italian mountaineer Karl Unterkircher in 2007 during an expedition on the Himalayan GII Mountain. Unterkircher, 38, is reported dead in an avalanche on K2.
Italian mountaineer Karl Unterkircher in 2007 during an expedition on the Himalayan GII Mountain. Unterkircher, 38, is reported dead in an avalanche on K2.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Dutch climbers flown to hospital
CNN

Remembering a fallen climber
Belfast Telegraph

 
rescue • Himalayas • avalanche

More Newser Stories

K2 Survivors Describe Ordeal as Last Reaches Camp

Kashmir Avalanche Kills 6 Soldiers, Traps 60

8 Missing in Canadian Avalanche

Survivors Tell of K2 Disaster

10 Climbers Dead, 3 Missing After K2 Avalanche
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne