Pakistani mountaineer Asif Bhatti stranded at Nanga Parbat due to snow blindness

Islamabad, July 4

Pakistani mountaineer Asif Bhatti has been stranded at the 8,126-metre-high, the ninth-highest mountain in the world, due to snow blindness, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said on Monday, Dawn reported.

ACP secretary general Karrar Haidri said: “He is stuck at camp 4, at an altitude of 7,500-8,000 m, with snow blindness and needs help.”

Bhatti, who is a university professor from Islamabad, was proceeding to the final summit of the peak when he got stranded.

According to Haidri, several outfits were attempting the peak and some of their members had conveyed the message that Bhatti was suffering from snow blindness.

He added: “A helicopter will be needed to pick him up but for that, he will have to come down to the altitude of around 6,000-6,500 m.”

Bhatti, along with other mountaineers Lt Col Dr Jabbar (r), Dr Naveed, Saad Muhammad and Faheem Pasha had departed for the expedition a few days back. “His other team members have not yet begun their final summit push,” Haidri added, as per Dawn.

Separately, Karakoram Club, an organisation working for adventure tourism in Pakistan, said a group of climbers from the Karakoram Expedition in Shimshal were preparing for a rescue operation to retrieve Bhatti.

“They are currently waiting for a helicopter to transport them to the higher camps,” it added.

As per Dawn, climber Shehroze Kashif has also volunteered to become a part of the rescue mission. “I kindly request the relevant department to consider transporting me to either the base camp or even to higher camps for increased involvement,” he said.

Many climbers have been attempting to summit the peak this year. On Sunday, at least 52 mountaineers, including 11 Pakistanis, scaled Nanga Parbat.