Kathmandu: The world's second highest mountain has witnessed a record crowd of climbers standing on its summit in a single day after at least 31 climbers successfully climbed Mt K2 (8,611 m) -- located in Gilgit?Baltistan -- Saturday morning.
Expedition operators confirmed that 24 climbers from Seven Summit Treks, five from Summit Climb and two Sherpa climbers from Madison Mountaineering stood atop the mountain after a team of rope fixing climbers opened a route to the summit point.
With 31 standing atop the mountain, summer climbing season recorded the highest number of mountaineers reaching the summit point of Mt K2 in a single day. Earlier, at least 28 climbers had reached the summit point on July 31 in 2012.
According to Thaneswar Guragai, Manager at Seven Summit Treks, at least 24 climbers from the Seven Summit Treks/14 Peak Expedition successfully climbed the mountain via the Abruzzi Ridge.
Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, Chhiji Norbu Sherpa, Dawa Gyaljen Sherpa, Lhakpa Temba Sherpa, Krishna Thapa Magar, Pemba Thinduk Sherpa, Ngima Thenduk Sherpa, Ngima Dorchi Sherpa, Dawa Sangay Sherpa, Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, Pastemba Sherpa, Mingma Tenjen Sherpa and Furba Ongdi Sherpa among other foreign climbers from SST expedition made it to the top of K2, Guragai quoted expedition leader Chhang Dawa Sherpa as saying from the high camp.
According to him, Jianjonh Li (China), Noel Hanna (Ireland), Gangaamaa Badamgarav (Mongolia), Sophie Lavaud (Switzerland), Muhammad Ali Sadpara (Pakistan), Viridiana Alvarez Chavez (Mexico), Yoshiharu Nakamura (Japan), Paul Hegge (Belgium), Changjuan He (China), Intesh (Pakistan) and Naoko Watanabe (Japan) also climbed the mountain.
"Two months of hard work has finally paid off," team leader Sherpa reacted, adding that his expedition showed that a successful ascent was possible. All the climbers have now been descending to the lower camps, he informed.
Mt K2 is considered as one of the world's deadliest mountains to climb as at least 84 climbers have died on the mountain till date. According to a climbing record, at least 337 climbers reached the summit point since Italians Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli first scaled the peak in 1954.(UNI)