Sherpa killed in Pak mountain attack

KATHMANDU, JUN 23 - Unidentified gunmen on Sunday killed at least 11 mountaineers, including a Nepali Sherpa, in the base camp of Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.

According to the Nepali Ambassador to Pakistan, Bharat Raj Poudel, the climbers, including tourist guide Sona Sherpa, 35 of Solukhumbu district, were killed when the gunmen opened fire as they were taking rest before climbing the mountain.

Eight other Nepalis, who had been fixing ropes on the mountain slopes, and five other foreigners survived the attack, Poudel said.

“The expedition was arranged by Seven Summit Treks (based in Kathmandu),” he said.

Sherpa’s body was taken to Islamabad and sent for post-mortem at a local hospital, according to Poudel. The gunmen stormed the hotel the climbers had been in at around 1 am local time. They looted all their belongings before shooting them dead, he said. The others killed in the attack were five Ukrainians, three Chinese, one Chinese American, and one Lativian.

Pakistani authorities informed the Nepali Embassy in Islamabad of the incident and expressed grief over it, Poudel said. 

Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy Durga Bhandari received Sherpa’s body. “We will begin the process of sending the body home once the post-mortem is done,” said Poudel. The trekking company and its staff are closely working with Pakistani and Nepali officials in this regard, he said.

Nepali Sherpas are renowned the world over for their climbing and rope fixing skills, while they are also known as ‘ice doctors.’

Nanga Parbat, which at 8,126 metres, is the second highest mountain in Pakistan and the ninth highest in the world.