by Abdullah Bai
Islamabad: A climber from Poland has fallen to death at a mountain peak in Shimshal’s Ghujerav valley while his friend has been rescued.
According to Shaheen Baig, leader of a rescue team, the two Polish climbers, llzuck Michael Jakob and Bogdanski Jakob had gone to Ghujerav Valley three days ago to attempt a little-known 6,200m-high Dhee Sar peak in the Karakoram mountain range.
Michael was injured after falling from an altitude of 5,800m on Thursday morning. His friend Bogdanski informed the Polish embassy in Islamabad as well as the local guide, Muhammad Abbas, through satellite phone about the incident.
The embassy requested the army aviation for sending a helicopter to the Ghujerav valley to rescue the stranded climbers. An army helicopter made an attempt on Thursday to locate the climbers but failed due to bad weather and returned back.
Meanwhile, a seven-member rescue team comprised of K2 summiteer Shaheen Baig, Jalaluddin, Muhammad Bari, Sajjad Ali, Dilbar Khan and Buza Khan, were dispatched to the valley who reached the Base Camp of the mountain on Thursday evening.
On Friday morning Abbas, who had accompanied the two Polish climbers up to the Base Camp but was returned back two days ago, confirmed the death of Michael.
Four members of the rescue team climbed up to camp three and rescued Bogdasho Jakob. But the body of Michael could not be retrieved.
The second group of the rescue team stayed at the Base Camp for back up. The rescuers brought Jakob down to BC and an army helicopter airlifted him from the BC and admitted to a local hospital.