A massive rock slide has hit Base Camp at the foot of Pakistan’s Trango Towers. It injured three Spanish climbers and one Pakistani. One of the Spaniards is reportedly in critical condition.
The three injured Europeans are Markel De La Fuente, Gorka Prieto, and Asier (surname not shared) from Spain’s Basque Country. A local assistant identified as Qassim was also involved, according to Dawn.
Prieto was hit in the head and is in critical condition, the paper noted in a story published last Sunday. The other three sustained minor injuries. The climbers were waiting for good weather when the rocks fell on them.
Outfitter Jasmine Tours called for an emergency evacuation, but bad weather grounded the helicopter, so the victims had to be carried on foot to Shigar. From there, rescuers drove them by vehicle to a hospital in Skardu.
Italians safe
We heard this news thanks to Stefano Ragazzo and Silvia Loreggian of Italy, who are currently on their way home from climbing on Trango. They have not yet revealed what they climbed. They only updated on their whereabouts to verify they are safe after the rockfall.
“We were incredibly lucky, and we’re grateful that we can write these words today,” Ragazzo wrote. “Our thoughts are with our Basque friends who were injured during the rockfall.”
Ragazzo and Loreggian’s team during the approach trek to the Trango Towers some weeks ago. Photo: Stefano Ragazzo
Ragazzo and Loreggian had returned from their climb and were resting in Base Camp when the slide took place. While the climbers were unharmed, the rocks smashed their laptops, so they will need time back home to recover their images and videos.
