Spantik Peak mission to retrieve body of Pakistani climber halted amid heavy snowfall

On Sunday, snowfall at Spantik Peak halted efforts to retrieve the body of 34-year-old Pakistani climber Dr Asma Mushtaq, who had died while descending the 7,027-meter peak on Thursday. High-altitude sickness, caused by hypoxia due to rapid ascent and inadequate acclimatization, is believed to be the cause of her death. Her body is currently at Camp 3 at approximately 6,400 meters.

The recovery team departed for Camp 2 on Saturday but was halted by heavy snowfall and advised to return to Base Camp and wait for a suitable weather window. Approval for a mercy mission and helicopter rescue on humanitarian grounds was also in progress, with support from the Pakistan Army. The recovery operation, coordinated by Dr Mushtaq's expedition company, involved climbers from various teams and was in coordination with institutions including the tourism department, local government, and the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

The ACP clarified that it was Pakistan's national federation for mountaineering and sport climbing, not a rescue organization with dedicated resources. It emphasized that search, rescue, and other relevant activities depended on government resources, while regretting the lack of a dedicated and properly established high-altitude rescue system in Pakistan.

The ACP requested the public to refrain from spreading misinformation and stressed that the safe and dignified recovery of Dr Mushtaq's body was the priority. Baltistan Division Commissioner Kamal Khan criticized the tour operator for violating mountaineering rules by not arranging for the recovery team and helicopter to airlift the body.