ISLAMABAD: A team of local volunteers on Thursday recovered the body of a Pakistani climber who was among 10 mountaineers killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak nearly two weeks ago, officials said.
The body of Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi had been missing since July 30, when a 10-member international expedition led by renowned climber Nirmal Purja lost contact with base camp.
Authorities later said all 10 climbers had died in one of Pakistan’s deadliest mountaineering accidents in recent years. Search teams have now recovered eight bodies, including Sakhi.
Sakhi’s body was found by a group of volunteers from the region. Other rescuers later joined them and helped carry the body to base camp.
The body was expected to be transported from there by helicopter to a regional air base if weather conditions permit, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.
The recovery came two days after mountaineers, diplomats and members of civil society attended a candlelight vigil in Pakistan's capital Islamabad to honor the climbers.
The international expedition included climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain and the United States.
Broad Peak, which rises 8,051 meters (26,414 feet) above sea level in the Karakoram range, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain. It lies near K2, the world’s second-highest peak.
Mountaineering accidents are common in northern Pakistan, which is home to some of the world’s highest mountains.