Two mountaineers missing after conquering Broad Peak
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
06.03.2013 09:11
Two of four Polish mountaineers who made the first ever winter ascent of Broad Peak have not arrived at Camp IV as scheduled. “The situation is very serious,” says the team leader.
Maciej Berbeka (1954-2013)Adam Bielecki / PAP
Missing climber Maciej Berbeka: photo - PAP/Adam Bielecki
“From 04.00 hours Polish time we have had no contact with the two mountaineers, who on Tuesday, after conquering the summit of Broad Peak failed to reach Camp IV,” Artur Hajzer, coordinator of the Polish Winter Mountaineering in the Himalayas 2010-2015 project, has told TVP public television.
“We should be worried. They found themselves in a life-threatening situation and are very tired,” he said of Maciej Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski, who spent the night on a pass under the summit at an altitude of 7900 metres.
Two other climbers, Adam Bielecki and Artur Malek, are safely back at Camp IV.
The four scaled the world's 12th highest mountain at about 6 pm local time on Tuesday - a few hours later than scheduled - scaling the peak in the Karakoram range, which lies on the border between Pakistan and China. (pg)