Kerala mountaineer trapped on North American peak seeks help

A mountaineer from Kerala who is reportedly stranded along with his team on the Denali Mountain in North America has sent an SOS message through his satellite phone seeking rescue and assistance.

The climber, Shaikh Hasan Khan, is said to have reached out after encountering difficulties during the expedition.

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, in a post on X on Wednesday, said he had alerted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar about the incident and asked for help.

“I hv alerted DrSJaishnakar and his team. I am also tagging Indian Embassy in Washington DC to please help. Stay Safe,” Chandrasekhar said in his post.

Pathanamthitta MP Anto Antony has also sent a letter to Jaishankar seeking immediate assistance to Khan who is trapped due to a severe storm in the mountain.

“Shaikh Hasan Khan, famous mountaineer from Kerala reportedly trapped on Mount Denali in America. He was on a mission to hoist the flag to congratulate the Indian Army for Operation Sindoor when he was trapped due to severe storm.

“He sent message requesting for urgent rescue and assistance due to shortage of water and food. Khan belongs to my parliamentary constituency Pathanamthitta.

“I request you to kindly give urgent direction to our mission in US to intervene in this matter and do all the possible assistance to help Khan,” Antony said in his letter.

The message by Khan read, “hi this is shaikh. I am on an expedition to mount Denali, the highest peak of north America. We are stuck in a severe storm at 17,000 ft at camp 5.

“Less food and water to survive. I am here on a mission to hold a banner to congratulate our armed forces for operation sindoor. only God can help us,” the message said.

Khan, who is an employee of the Kerala Government, had scaled several peaks across continents including the Mount Everest in 2022.