Women climbers from Pakistan and Iran reach K2 summit

A climber from Pakistan and another from Iran are thought to be the first women from their countries to reach the top of K2, one of the world’s highest and most dangerous summits.

Samina Baig, a 32-year-old mountaineer from a village in northern Pakistan, planted her country’s green and white flag at the peak of the 28,250 feet-high (8,610 metre) K2 mountain on Friday.

Iran’s Afsaneh Hesamifard, who according to Iranian media became only the third woman to reach the top of Mount Everest in May, was hailed on social media.

They were among several women to reach K2’s peak on Friday, according to Karrar Haidri, chief officer of the Pakistan Alpine Club, which helps coordinate between climbers and the government.

He said a second Pakistani female climber, Naila Kiyani, was among the team to reach the top of the mountain, but it appeared that Baig had arrived at its peak a few minutes earlier.

K2, on the Chinese-Pakistani border in the Karakorum Range, has one of the deadliest records with people often dying on the way down. Only a few hundred have successfully reached its summit. In contrast, Mount Everest has been summited more than 9,000 times

Mr Haidri said Afghan climber Ali Akbar Sakki died on Thursday due to a heart attack while attempting to scale K2 as part of the team of climbers who reached its summit Friday.

Not only is K2 the second-highest after Mount Everest, its ascent and descent are considered much more challenging than the world’s highest.

K2 is the coldest and windiest of climbs. At places along the route, climbers must navigate nearly sheer rock faces rising 80 degrees, while avoiding frequent and unpredictable avalanches.

The latest record comes a day after Nepalese climber Sanu Sherpa set a new mountaineering record for twice reaching the peak of each of the world’s 14 highest mountains.

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s military airlifted two Pakistani climbers, including the man who became the youngest to scale K2, to safety after the pair went missing during an expedition scaling Nanga Parbat, known as “Killer Mountain” because of its dangerous conditions.