As we wrote three days ago, Canadian climber Richard Cartier went missing on K2 between Camp 2 and Camp 1. Today, The Himalayan Times reported that a second climber in that three-man group, Matthew Eakin of Australia, also went missing that day.
Until last night, there had been no news about Eakin’s fate. On July 21, Justin Dube-Fahmy posted on Facebook that he and his climbing partners, Cartier and Eakin, were about to head back down to Base Camp. The three had just spent two days acclimatizing on K2 and had reached Lower Camp 4 at 7,600m.
Dube-Fahmy added that after 16 hours of climbing, the three were tired after the two long days at altitude.
Something unspecified happened during their descent, but we only knew about Cartier. It turns out that Eakin also went missing between Camp 1 and 2.
The Himalayan Times has also reported that searchers spotted the two deceased mountaineers today, just below Camp 1. It seems that the body of Cartier was found at Japanese Camp 1, while Eakin’s remains were at Advanced Base Camp.
Adventure Pakistan Treks and Expedition was outfitting their climb.
Climbers head toward the summit of K2. Photo: From a video by Pemba Sherpa
The cause of the fatal accident remains unclear. Both victims were experienced climbers.
The day that they descended from Lower Camp 4, July 22, coincided with the arrival of a record number of climbers at the summit.
