Web Desk: Mountaineer Asma Mushtaq has died after suffering a medical emergency while descending from Spantik, a 7,027-metre peak in the Karakoram range, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.
Mushtaq had reached the summit before the incident and was reportedly in good health at the time. However, she later fell critically ill at an altitude of about 6,400 metres during her descent.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), Mushtaq’s mountain guides responded immediately and provided emergency assistance in extremely difficult conditions.
Despite their efforts, she could not survive, the ACP said in a statement.
Karakoram Calling Treks also confirmed that guide Akbar Ali and another guide assisted Mushtaq after the medical emergency. The guides attempted to stabilise her and keep her safe in the demanding high-altitude environment.
The incident occurred during the descent, when climbers can face severe risks from rapidly changing weather, low oxygen levels and altitude-related medical complications.
ACP Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri expressed condolences to Mushtaq’s family, friends and fellow mountaineers following her death.
Her death has also drawn attention to the risks faced by climbers attempting high-altitude expeditions in Pakistan’s mountainous north, home to some of the world’s most challenging peaks.
Mushtaq was from Lahore and worked in Britain as a doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynaecology, according to information shared on her social media profiles.
Alongside her medical career, she pursued mountaineering, travel and adventure. She regularly documented her expeditions and journeys on social media, building a record of her activities in some of the world’s most demanding mountain environments.
Her successful ascent of Spantik was followed by the fatal medical emergency during the descent, cutting short an expedition that had taken her to one of Pakistan’s prominent high-altitude peaks.
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