Pakistani surgeon Dr. Rana Javed summits Nanga Parbat

KARACHI: Pakistani surgeon and mountaineer Dr. Rana Hassan Javed on Friday successfully summited Nanga Parbat, one of the world’s highest and most dangerous peaks.

He completed the climb as part of an international expedition comprising climbers from eight countries.

This marks Dr. Javed’s second successful summit of a peak above 8,000 meters. Last year, he scaled Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters), another formidable mountain located in Pakistan’s Karakoram range.

Nanga Parbat, standing at 8,126 meters (26,660 feet), is infamously known as the 'Killer Mountain' due to its treacherous conditions and high fatality rate.

Dr. Javed’s successful ascent is being hailed as a notable achievement in Pakistan’s mountaineering history. 

Also part of the summit team was Ali Hassan, a seasoned high-altitude porter from the Hushe Valley, whose expertise contributed to the expedition’s success.

For the unversed, in a tragic turn of events, Klara Kolouchova, a Czech mountaineer and the first woman from her country to summit both Mount Everest and K2, died after a fall on Nanga Parbat, officials and the Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed on Thursday.

The 46-year-old climber reportedly fell between Camp I and Camp II in the early hours of Thursday. Authorities suspect that an oxygen cylinder explosion may have caused the fatal accident. According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the incident occurred around 4:00 a.m. local time.

Kolouchova was part of a seven-member expedition, including her husband, which had arrived in Pakistan on June 15 and reached base camp two days later.

Quoting Additional Deputy Commissioner Nizamuddin of Diamer, a local Gilgit media outlet reported that her teammates confirmed her death after returning to base camp, although her body remains at the fall site.

Klara Kolouchova rose to international prominence as the first Czech woman to summit both Everest and K2. Her attempt on Nanga Parbat — Pakistan’s ninth-highest and the world’s ninth-tallest mountain — was part of her quest to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks.