ExWeb has an updated from Muztagh Tower today with the news that Slovenian climber Dejan Miskovic has been airlifted off the mountain and is now back in base camp relatively unscathed.
Dejan was climbing with Pavle Kozjek on the 23,862 foot mountain, attempting a new route on it's North Face, when Pavle fell off a cornice at one of their high camps and disappeared. Dejan phoned home to inform friends and family of what happened, but was later stranded on the mountain himself due to high winds. The weather subsided enough today to pluck him from his perch and bring him down to safety.
The two helicopters that conducted the rescue also did a sweep of the area looking for any trace of Pavle. So far there has been no sign of him, and hopes are fading that he somehow managed to survive the fall. The search and rescue teams hope to resume their efforts tomorrow if the weather permits.
Personally, August can't come to an end fast enough. It's just been one mountaineering disaster after another, and the loss of Pavle just puts an exclamation point on the past few weeks. I'm happy to hear that Dejan is down and safe however, and now lets keep our fingers crossed that we don't see another month like this one anytime soon.
Update: According to Miha, how posted a comment on this post, the search for Pavle has been given up altogether. Miha says that the search parties have discovered Pave's backpack, jacket, and helmet in the snow, leaving little doubt to the Slovenian climbers fate. Sad news.
No comments:
Post a Comment