Dubai-based mountaineer Naila Kiani made history on Wednesday when she led a team of eight mountaineers to recover the body of Muhammad Hassan Shigri from a K2 peak at a height of 8,200 metres.
It was the highest recovery ever made on the world’s second-tallest mountain, taking the team three days from bottleneck to base camp to retrieve the body.
Hassan’s death last year hit headlines around the world due to ethical standards as some reports indicated that despite his critical condition, climbers bypassed him without offering assistance. The reports added that the young mountaineer also lacked experience and equipment in the expedition.
The team dug out the body from the bottleneck out of snow on Monday and reached the advanced base camp (ABC) on Wednesday at approximately 6.30pm local time.
Kiani said she was approached by Hassan’s family for assistance while she embarked on the K2 clean-up project on humanitarian grounds, which was launched with the support of the UAE’s Mashreq Bank.
“Despite requesting the no-objection certificate only one week before the summit push, the team was assembled quickly to take advantage of the weather window, making this a last-minute, yet critical, operation. This mission wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of the high-altitude climbers, the logistical support from Imran Ali, and the support of Shigar’s deputy commissioner Wali Ullah Fallahi,” said Kiani.
In May 2024, the Dubai resident scaled Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak at 8,485 metres. The remarkable accomplishment made her the first Pakistani woman to conquer 11 of the world’s 14 highest mountains – all 8,000-plus metres in height.
This was the first rescue mission of its kind on K2 from such a high altitude and it happened to fall on the same day that K2 was first summited 70 years ago.
Hailing from Pakistan, the Dubai-based mountaineer elaborated that previous attempts to fund such expeditions were too costly and did not receive approval to retrieve the body. “By conducting this mission on a not-for-profit basis, the team managed to reduce costs to one-third of the original estimates provided to the Gilgit Baltistan government,” she added.
Among the other seven members, five climbers included Dilawar Sadpara, Akbar Hussein Sadpara, Zakir Hussein Sadpara, Mohammed Murad Sadpara, Ali Mohammed Sadpara, along with logistics manager Imran Ali and Wali Ullah Fallahi.
Kiani added that this rescue mission not only aims to provide a dignified burial for Hassan, but also serves to demonstrate the exceptional skills and dedication of Pakistani high-altitude workers.