Accessibility links

Breaking News

Body Of American Mountaineer Found Near K2 In Northern Pakistan


A team of Nepalese climbers made history with a successful winter attempt of K2's summit on January 16, the same day renowned Spanish climber Sergio Mingote died on the ascent.
A team of Nepalese climbers made history with a successful winter attempt of K2's summit on January 16, the same day renowned Spanish climber Sergio Mingote died on the ascent.

Pakistan's military located the body of American mountaineer Alex Goldfarb on January 18 in the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan, the second death of a foreign climber in the area in less than a week.

A helicopter team spotted Goldfarb's remains during a search and rescue operation that began on January 17, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

He appeared to have fallen off the mountain, Hungarian expedition company Magyar Expedicios, which was supporting the climbers, said in a statement.

Goldfarb and Hungarian Zoltan Szlanko were planning to climb the 8,047-meter (26,400-foot) high Broad Peak, which has yet to be ascended in winter, without the use of oxygen or any porters for help, according to Magyar Expedicios.

To acclimate for that climb, the pair set out to climb nearby Pastore Peak, 6,209 meters high, but were met with harsh winter conditions and Szlanko decided to turn back while Goldfarb continued alone.

Szlanko joined the search for his partner after he failed to return as planned on January 16.

Goldfarb, a medical doctor and a lecturer at Harvard University in Boston, had volunteered to treat COVID-19 patients since the outset of the pandemic, his son Levi Goldfarb told Reuters.

“He thought (mountain climbing) was beautiful," Levi said.

"He thought it was liberating, because up in the mountains it didn’t really matter who you were at sea level -- a doctor, a lawyer, or even a thief; all of those labels were stripped away and you were playing by a different set of rules. He made great friends in the mountains, he saved lives and saved himself, and he traveled the world doing it.”

Spanish climber Sergio Mingote also died in the Karakoram Mountains on January 16 after he fell down a crevasse while attempting to make his way down to Base Camp on K2, the world's second-highest mountain.

Travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic dampened the traditionally active summer months of mountaineering in the region last year.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG