Body of Pakistani climber Dr Asma Mushtaq ‘recovered’ on GB’s Spantik Peak

• Body found at high altitude, recovery complicated by difficult terrain.
• Team taking into account terrain and associated risks.
• Dr Asma died on August 20 after emergency during descent.

The body of Pakistani climber Dr Asma Mushtaq, who died on August 20 after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending from the 7,027-metre-high Spantik Mountain in the Karakoram range, has been recovered, Deputy Commissioner Shigar Sher Afzal announced on Monday.

In a statement, the deputy commissioner said that local mountaineers — during a search operation —recovered the body and began transporting it towards the base camp. The team members carrying the body have reached Camp II, he added.

Meanwhile, a fresh spell of snowfall has been continuing at the higher altitudes since evening, according to the deputy commissioner. He said the team is expected to reach the base camp tomorrow if snowfall does not cause further disruption.

Hours earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the search and rescue team looking for the body of the Pakistani climber located her remains beyond Camp 3 on Gilgit-Baltistan’s Spantik peak.

According to the update issued by the minister, the team was assessing site conditions and finalising arrangements for safe recovery and controlled evacuation to base camp, taking into account the high-altitude terrain and associated risks.

The Pakistani climber died on August 20 after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending from the 7,027-metre-high Spantik Mountain in the Karakoram range, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

The recovery operation had been a prolonged and difficult mission due to harsh weather conditions at high altitude.

The operation to retrieve her body had previously been suspended after heavy snowfall and strong winds forced the team to turn back while approaching Camp 3. When weather conditions improved, the rescue team departed from base camp again and headed toward Camp 2.

Five days earlier, Tarar had said the rescue team had reached the suspected location of the body, but that heavy snowfall over the preceding two days had completely buried it under the snow, making it extremely difficult to locate.

“Because the place is very large and due to heavy snowfall over the past two days, the body is now completely covered under the snow,” he had said, adding that the retrieval operation was underway.

High-altitude porters had been expected to reach Camp 3, retrieve the body and bring it down to base camp, but deteriorating weather conditions had at one point prevented the team from proceeding.

A helicopter was subsequently authorised to assist in the retrieval operation, with coordination established between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and the Force Command Northern Areas.

Alternative arrangements were also put in place, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif being kept updated on the situation throughout.