Tragic Fall Claims Life of Czech Mountaineer on Nanga Parbat

Islamabad, Jul 4 (PTI) A prominent Czech mountaineer has tragically lost her life while attempting to climb Nanga Parbat, one of the 14 formidable peaks that rise over 8,000 meters. This information was confirmed by an official of the Alpine Club of Pakistan on Friday.

Klara Kolouchova, aged 46, experienced a fatal fall from a height between Camp I and Camp II in the early morning hours of Thursday, around 4:00 am. The incident occurred near Bunar Base Camp of the 8,125-meter Nanga Parbat summit, located in the Diamer region of Gilgit-Baltistan, within the Pakistan-administered area of Kashmir.

The mountain, notorious within the mountaineering community, is often referred to as the 'Killer Mountain' due to its high fatality rate.

Karrar Haidri, Vice President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, noted that Klara was an esteemed mountaineer, internationally recognized as the first Czech woman to conquer both Mt. Everest and K2. She arrived in Pakistan on June 15, accompanied by her husband and five team members. Following her fall, authorities and rescue teams were swiftly alerted and dispatched. Recovery efforts are actively ongoing to recover her body from the fall site, Haidri communicated via a WhatsApp message.

No specific cause for the fall was provided, though some local media outlets speculated that a gas-cylinder explosion might have contributed to the accident.

Nanga Parbat, named from the Sanskrit words ‘nagna’ and ‘parvata,’ meaning “naked mountain,” ranks as the ninth-highest mountain in the world. Its grim reputation stems from the numerous fatalities it has claimed. To date, over 95 climbers have perished while endeavoring to scale it, including 31 casualties before it was first conquered in 1953. Additionally, the mountain was the scene of a terrorist attack when Taliban militants killed 10 foreign climbers on June 23, 2013.