The death of a bearer on the second highest mountain in the world has caused a lot of commotion. The man is said to have been left to die shortly before the summit by about 70 alpinists. The events are now being investigated by a committee. Mountaineering icon Reinhold Messner sharply criticized: “Solidarity has given way to selfishness.”
The accident happened on July 27. 27-year-old Pakistani mountain porter Muhammad Hassan lay at the dreaded key point, K2’s bottleneck traverse. After a fall in the early hours of the morning while fitting a fixed rope, the 27-year-old was apparently pronounced dead too quickly.
About 70 alpinists, including Norwegian extreme mountaineer Kristin Harila and her Sherpa team, reportedly climbed over the lifeless body or missed it during the ascent and descent. Videos have since emerged showing that the courier is still alive at the scene of the accident.
Messner not surprised
For mountaineering legend Messner, the as-yet unproven events come as no surprise. It is about the consequences of ‘tourism on the mountain’, which is increasingly displacing traditional alpinism, which he advocated all his life. You can now book K2 and other highest mountains “like in a travel agency” and then “be taken up the slopes by the Sherpas”.
Videos posted on social media show a man in a yellow anorak being left in the snow:
These “expeditions” have hundreds of participants – accordingly, there is an “anonymity like in the big city” on the mountains. The ego is now in the foreground: “You don’t know each other anymore. Everyone only looks at themselves. There is no willingness to help and empathy, as used to be a matter of course. Back then, even world-class climbers would dismount if someone else had trouble helping them.”
No responsibility, no compassion?
Because you can now “book” such Himalayan climbs, the sense of responsibility is completely lost, says the South Tyrolean, who of course also climbed the K2. If one is completely relieved of responsibility from the start, how is one supposed to develop a sense of responsibility for others in such situations, Messner wondered. The result is a lack of empathy.
At the same time, Messner stressed that one should be careful with such coverage, because it is often also canvassing by people who would make up such stories because they had not yet reached the top. But in this case, it seems to make sense based on multiple descriptions.
Drone footage would show the dying
“It is a pity that no one stopped to help the dying man,” said Abu Zafar Sadiq, chairman of the Pakistan Alpine Club, dpa news agency. On the day of the accident, several avalanches sprang up at a bottleneck on K2, the most difficult and deadly point for the summit. “Some climbers were hit by the avalanches, but fortunately no one was dragged down,” said Sadiq. “Whatever the circumstances, someone should have helped the poor fellow.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
