ISLAMABAD – Pakistani authorities suspended all winter ascents, effective immediately, after three climbers went missing while attempting to scale K2 amid harsh weather in the country's north, a mountaineering official said Wednesday.
The development comes after Pakistan's climber Ali Sadpara, Jon Snorri of Iceland and Juan Pablo Mohr of Chile lost contact with base camp on Saturday.
Their support team has not received any communications from the 8,611-meter (28,250-foot) high K2, the world's second highest peak, sometimes referred to as “killer mountain.” A search and rescue operation could not resume for the straight second day Wednesday because of bad weather, said Karrar Haidri, head of the Pakistan Alpine Club.