Tragedy struck on the world’s second-highest peak as Chinese mountaineer Guan Jing lost her life after being struck by falling rocks while descending K2. The incident occurred on Tuesday night, just days after Guan and her team successfully reached the summit of the treacherous peak.
Guan Jing’s fatal accident occurred on the Abruzzi Spur route, a section of K2 notorious for rockfalls, situated between Camp I and Advanced Base Camp. Guan had reached the summit on Monday as part of a larger climbing group, with more than 30 climbers achieving the summit that day. Following their ascent, the climbers began their descent, but Guan’s journey was tragically cut short.
While recovery efforts for her body are currently underway, other climbers who reached the summit on the same day are reported to be returning safely to base camp.
This incident comes amid a string of climbing tragedies on K2 and nearby peaks. Last month, a Pakistani mountaineer, Iftikhar Hussain Sadpara, lost his life following an avalanche near Camp 1 on K2. The avalanche claimed the life of Sadpara, while three others were affected, with two climbers returning safely and one foreign mountaineer sustaining minor injuries.
In another unfortunate event, Czech climber Klara Kolouchova, known for being the first Czech woman to summit both Everest and K2, also perished last month after falling on Nanga Parbat, another of Pakistan’s high-altitude peaks.
K2, known as the “Savage Mountain” due to its extreme difficulty, continues to claim lives despite the accomplishments of many climbers. Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 peaks that rise above 8,000 meters, with K2 being one of the most challenging and dangerous.
