Pakistani Mountaineer Reports Death of Porter on K2, Investigation Launched into Tragic Incident

A Pakistani mountaineer has reported the death of a Pakistani porter on the world’s most treacherous mountain, K2. The mountaineer, Harila, said she and her team members were in the area at the time of the incident and attempted to save the porter, Mohammed Hassan, for hours.

Hassan was hired by the Pakistan-based expedition company Lela Peak and was assigned to a team of Russian climbers. Harila said Hassan slipped and fell off a narrow trail in a particularly dangerous area of K2 known as the bottleneck around 2:15 a.m. on July 27.

Harila has rejected any responsibility for Hassan’s death, saying in an Instagram post that she felt “angry at how many people have been blaming others for this tragic death” and that no one was at fault. She also said that she and her teammates were “taking a very, very big risk” in trying to save Hassan.

An investigation has been launched into the death of Hassan. When asked if she felt the controversy had tainted her record, Harila said “of course,” but did not elaborate.

The incident has sparked debate among mountaineers and the public, with many questioning the actions of the climbers who passed Hassan after he was gravely injured. The outcome of the investigation is yet to be seen.