Sajid Sadpara, son of missing Pakistani mountaineer Muhammad Ali Sadpara, said the chances of his father alive “are slim to zero”.
In a video message from Skardu, where he arrived early Sunday morning, Sajid said: “Rescue operations now only make sense if they are carried out to bring his body back. Otherwise, the chances of someone surviving 8,000 meters for two to three days. are slim to zero”.
Sajid said a team of four mountaineers began their ascent around 11pm – 12am on 5 February 2021 (the night between Thursday and Friday). Myself, my father, Muhammad Ali Sadpara of Pakistan, John Snorri of Iceland and MP Mohr of Chile were at the bottleneck while other climbers had descended. “
“Unfortunately, I had no bottled oxygen and in the winter at an altitude of around 8,200 meters I felt that my health can deteriorate due to lack of oxygen. My dad said he has another oxygen tank that I should use. But when I started putting the regulator on the oxygen mask, it leaked and I decided to go down to camp 3”. He said.
“The last time I saw the climbers at the bottleneck. I started returning from the bottleneck around 12 noon and arrived at camp 3 at 5pm. I informed the base camp via satellite communication that I had returned to camp 3 and that my father and other team members were on their way to the summit of K2. I was unable to communicate with the climbers because their communication devices were not working “.
Sajid said “the last time he saw” his father was at the bottleneck at about 8,200-8,300 meters.
Mr. Sajid said he was waiting at Camp 3 for the climbers and was preparing water and other things for them. “I kept the camp light on at night so they could come to the camp and notice the light,” he narrated.
“On Saturday morning I informed the base camp director that the climbers had not returned until now.
The manager told me to get off camp 3 because the weather was not good and he must have been tired. He said they would launch a rescue mission for the climbers. “
I think he climbed to the top and was on his way back, it was also windy that night, which must have created some problems,” he added.
Mr Sajid thanked the Pakistan army, civil administration, rescue team, mountaineers and supporters for their support and sympathy in this situation.
Earlier, Shigar’s deputy commissioner had confirmed Sajid Sadpara’s safe arrival in Skardu.
He said the helicopters had searched the area with Sajid and Dawa Sherpa, who were leading the winter K2 expedition, to an altitude of 7,800 meters, but “found no runways due to bad weather.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said an aerial search was underway to locate the three climbers.
Gilgit-Baltistan Prime Minister Khalid Khursheed said that all cooperation for the rescue operation was done. He invited people to pray for the safe recovery of the mountaineers.
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