Again a painful night.
I slept very light, woke up like I expected something.
When I switched on the news I heard that Nirmal Purja was missing.
He was one of a climbing team on Broad Peak in the Karakoram-range. (Between Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China).
10 people are missing.
They were hit by an avalanche when they were at a height of 6600 meters, between camp II and camp III, and dropped straight down...
I can hardly believe it.
Nims (Nirmal Purja, also called Nims Dai/Nimsdai) has served as a Ghurka, and served with the special forces of the Royal Navy.
He went on a trekking tour in 2012 to Everest Base Camp and spontaneous changed his plans (to go back) into climbing the Lobuche East. He turned out to be very talented. He set a world record in 2019 and became world famous. He reached all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in just over six months.
I've met him many years ago. He made a lasting impression.
He lived in Hampshire.
The other climbers: Gyalu Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, and Mallory Geis (USA), Pur Bahadur Gurung (Nepal), Nadhira Al Harthy (Oman), Sohail Sakhi (Pakistan) and Wang Zhong (China).
Immediately after the worrying news search operations have started, with helicopters, drones and ground teams. All available resources are used.
Update:
In the meantime 4 bodies have been found.
Two of them are identified as: Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nadhira Al Harthy.
Nadhira Al Harthy was the first Omani woman to summit Mount Everest. She seemed to be laughing all the time.
Update:
At 5.33 AM the climbers were around a height of 6.166 m,
at 7.00 AM around 6.430 m,
just before 9.00 AM about 6,600 m.
This gradual increase of height suggests climbing went fine.
The final contact was about 9.00 AM.
Almost half a day later it was said that Nims satellite tracker showed action at 06.18 local time at 5.878,67 meters. No movement, low battery. But at such heights this is no indication of life, as the trackers might show errors.
It just shows how deep they have fallen...
Mingma said he had seen movement... but not anymore..
Sohail Sakhi’s tracker recorded movement between 6:16 AM and 10:26 AM, showing an ascent of approximately 230 feet(70 m) While the tracker’s battery is reportedly low, it continues to transmit a signal. But is it a sign of life, or of a body sliding in setting snow? Or just the device sliding down?
We know so far:
There are statements the avalanche hit Thursday midday, but GPS data give between 9.20 and 9.40 Pakistani time. (That's 3 hours ahead of my time in summer and 4 in winter.)
The altitude was between 6500 and 6660 meters.
They were going from camp II to camp III.
Contact was lost immediately.
GPS trackers showed a drop in altitude, straight down.
At 8.53 Nims was 800 meters higher than at 9.33.
The drops were different.
Mallory Geis dropped 534 meters
Nadhira Al Harthy dropped 1651 meters. She was found dead.
There is no official confirmation of the lengths of the drops.
These are later data found.
The news of the avalanche came only at 10 p.m. in the basecamp and the world.
Rescue operations are coordinated by the Alpine Club of Pakistan, working together with governmental and army organisations.
Pakistani rescuers are led by Sirbaz Khan.
Rescue actions would reach the area on Friday morning, but the bad weather has a huge impact, as has the altitude and the extreme difficult terrain.
The 4 bodies that were reported to be found were two bodies and a leg. Also a backpack from Mallory Geis has been found and Sakhi's tracker. (broken.)
The bodies were identified as: Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nadhira Al Harthy.
Later Mallory Geis was announced dead.
K2 expeditions, nearby, have been cancelled and the members are taking part in the rescue operations. There won't be any climbs anymore this season.
Those rescue efforts are coordinated by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa (Mingma G.) from Imagine Nepali Trecks.
Media bias
Already hours after the news came online mistakes slipped into the newsreports.
Some could be traced back to the original mistake in an article, others just showed up, making clear that no fact checks had taken place and news was just taken from blogs, instagram accounts and online papers.
In one of the first statements of the Alpine Club of Pakistan an interpreted observation was given as a fact (the 4 bodies), but later a correction was given.
That correction wasn't applied to the older articles that were based on the first statement.
Other mistakes, mainly in the description of the lives of the climbers, originated in memory flaws. Like linking Nims' first ascent to the Everest, where he in fact climbed the Lobuche East Top. Later he got a close connection with Everest.
Some sites have timers on them that state a post is updated, whereas it is an old post. Thus people think there are signs of life on a tracker, whereas it's old news and there hasn't been any sign of life for over 24 hours.
And even worse: titles of articles cite remarks of long ago, of other climbs, suggesting that they took unnecessary risks with this climb.
There is a fast difference between being irresposible and taking huge risks on a mountain, and dealing with the consequences of being in nature.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who are waiting for good news, while fearing for the worst.
And with the teams who are struggling with weather, the terrain, height and dangers high up the mountain, to find those who were caught by the avalanche. May they stay safe.
Saturday:
More and more people acknowledge that they are dead, including the organisation of Nims: Elite Exped.
His family has acknowledged his death.
This was not a light powder snow avalanche.......
My condolences to everyone involved, especially family, friends and climbing partners.
And lots of strength for those who are trying to find them, risking the same fate.
I can't say it better than it's said here .
Sunday, August 2:
This morning about 10 climbers from Nepal and Pakistan arrived at base camp to assist the recovery mission.
8 of them reached Camp I.
5 of those went to the avalanche site where the drones had spotted the bodies. Among them were Mingma G., Sirbaz Khan, Dawa Sherpa (Speed Dawa), and Pam Dorchi Sherpa.
On Monday they will be taken to the japanese camp and if the weather is good enough they will be brought further by helicopter.
The body of Nawang Thinduk Sherpa was located above 6000 m at a far too dangerous position and couldn't be brought down.
Sohail Sakhi is still missing.
As are the rest of the remains of Mallory Geis.
At the moment all want the bodies to be treated with dignity and to bring them to their families, and at the same time they consider the safety of the search- and rescueteam of the utmost importance.
Monday, August 3.
Kilu has been abseiled down to a flatter area.
The other 3 (Nimsdai/Nims, Wang Zhong and Nima Sherpa) can't be moved any further than 5000 m. Which is at a difficult and very dangerous slope.
A long-line helicopter recovery is the only option.
Mingma G. will see with the Islamabad military and government to see what can be done. Weather conditions need to be good to operate at such a heigh altitude, and the avalanche risk needs to be assessed.
A helicopter has already left Skardu to go to the area to assess ground conditions before bringing the bodies of Kili Pemba and Gyalu to the regional military and civilian hospital in Skardu.
Even when there is permission to move the bodies there need to be a lot of other steps taken:
- Insurance needs to be involved. They fund global high-altitude extraction, specialized international transport cases, embalming, and international air freight cargo fees.
- After arrival in hospital the identities need to be formally confirmed. Involved will be local magistrates, the Alpine Club of Pakistan, and expedition operators.
- Then a medical cerificate is needed, stating the cause of death issued by Pakistani medical authorities.
- If that is ready embassies must provide provisional Consular Mortuary Certificates.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad must grant export permits/No-Objection Certificates (NOC), so the bodies are allowed to leave Pakistan.
- Then the families must explicitly state whether they want repatriation or a local burial/cremation.
- The remains will be transported from Skardu to a major international airport (typically Islamabad International) via domestic cargo or military transport.
- Then an international flight will bring them home.
Blame game:
The blame game is intense.
People who hardly know Nims blame him for taking unnecessary risks, pushing the direction of decisions, ignoring the weather, etc., etc., etc..
Blame people for not noticing they were swept away by the avalanche. For not seeing their trackers stopped.
I often wonder: what is the use for blaming? Does it help.. yourself? The person who died? The family? The friends? Do you know more about the circumstances than the people involved?
Do you also blame someone who gets a roof tile on his head when leaving the house?
Does blaming solve something?
I hear someone saying that this climb was unexpected, not planned enough. Are you sure? Would all these experienced climbers follow the leader blindly? There was just one person inexperienced.
And strangely enough she left her country with a strong feeling she was going to her destination...
Death lies waiting for all of us, without exception.
People have been making the most stupid decisions and mistakes without even breaking a nail, and very well prepared expeditions ended with people dying, or leaving a mountain with frozen limbs and face.
Every climber knows death climbs with him..,
as does fate..
Whether you make the right decisions or not.
Bureaucracy
More climbers joined the rescue, but right before they were ready to leave a large avalanche came down, intensifying the call for long-line recoveries.
The area is in a sensitive border region, so everything needs permission from the military.
Mingma D. is working with them.
But the weather is working against it all.
It feels like the mountain won't let them go.
Mingma G. has decided to enter the avalanche area and bring his friends down, now a long-line recovery is impossible because of the weather.
His team consists out of 3 people, all others have left the area.
It makes clear how much he loved his friends.
Mingma, stay safe!!!
Wednesday, August 5
Mingma G and his team, consisting of Abid Baig, Dipan Gurung, Sirbaz Khan and Pemba Chhewang Sherpa, as well as (other) ground staff, have been able to bring the 3 bodies to a flatter area. They are now at the same place as the bodies of Kilu and Gyalu Sherpa.
It is now waiting for the right conditions for a helicopter to take them to Skardu.
The actions of this recovery team were truly heroic, and unwise at the same time. The slope is extremely dangerous, prone to avalanches and the weather was not good at all.
But to these people the respect for their friends and for the wishes of the families were far more important.
A request has been done to the government to declare Nims "National Luminary".
The family is planning the final rituals in Nepal.
Thursday, August 6
This morning it was possible to fly them back to Skardu.
Thanks to all who gave everything possible to find them, bring them down, take care of them, and made arrangements, and supported everyone.
So many people were involved, and more will be involved. Thank you all.
***
0 Comments:
Post a Comment