As Mohammad Hassan lay critically injured 1,300 feet from the summit of K2, dozens of fellow climbers cautiously pushed their way towards him, risking their lives while clinging to the side of the narrow ledge.
And then they went on – climbing around the ailing 27-year-old as they left him to die while they continued their very personal quest for stardom.
Now that footage of the incident has surfaced, her decision to leave him sparked an outcry in the mountaineering community.
Hassan, a father of three high-altitude porters from Pakistan who worked for the Lela Peak Expedition, died after an avalanche threw him over a ledge on July 27 while climbing the 28,300-foot K2 mountain.
The footage shows people climbing over Hassan as he lies helpless in deep snow.
Instead of helping him, his fellow climbers climbed past him up the mountainside without offering any help
This image, which is widely used in Pakistani media reports, is believed to be of Mohammed Hassan
The video then pans over to show clouds several thousand feet below and shows how high they were when the footage was taken.
The air is so thin at this altitude that everyone in the video wore oxygen masks.
It seems that in the end only one person helped him, an unknown rescuer, who managed to keep him conscious for a while before he died from his injuries. There was no rescue operation to help the young man.
Fellow climber Wilhelm Steindl, who also took part in the climb but returned to base camp earlier due to the dangerous conditions, told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he was startled by the inactivity of fellow climbers.
“It was a very heated, hard-fought race to the top.” What happened there is scandalous.
“One living person is left behind for records to be set.” It only took three or four people to save him. “Had I seen it, I would have climbed up to help the poor man.”
Despite these strong claims, differing accounts of the tragedy circulated, leading to uncertainty as to what exactly transpired en route to K2.
Lakpa Sherpa, a climber who witnessed the climb and captured the video, told Web that the footage does not reflect what actually happened:
“Some of the climbers and Sherpas tried to save his life even though he died.”
“The climbers have all spent a lot of money on this climb, and the time it takes to climb is also valuable.” Hundreds of climbers tried to save him, but they could not give up their mission.
“The reality is they were trying to save life and that’s below the big serace bottleneck where it’s impossible to cross without a rope so it’s a very difficult situation.”
“Many climbers and Sherpas told him to go back as he had very poor gear and wasn’t well equipped and also there was very bad weather during the summit window but he didn’t listen and then he fell.”
“It was very difficult to recover the body. You have to climb the mountain. There’s only a slim chance for them.’
Bulgarian climber Silvia Azdreeva, who was traveling when Hassan died, said in a Facebook post that climbing K2 was not for the faint of heart: “On K2 there is no one who can save you so quickly, you have to wait.” days if something happens to you.
“This mountain is not for everyone.” “K2 has a very difficult character.”
The climbers were just 1,200 feet from the summit of K2, the second highest mountain in the world
⚠️ Warning: Disturbing video
Another video of the body of Pakistani HAP Muhammad Hassan at the K2 bottleneck.
He struggled hanging upside down from a rope for three hours with no one helping him, instead continuing on to the summit.
Corporations win, humanity loses#Karakoram pic.twitter.com/htyIe6ye84– The Northerner (@northerner_the) August 6, 2023
The video shows clouds several thousand feet below them and shows how high they were at the time of recording
Bulgarian mountaineer Silvia Azdreeva said: “This mountain is not for everyone.” “K2 has a very difficult character”
Shockingly, Wilhelm Steindl claimed that shortly after Mr Hassan’s death, a party was held to celebrate Kristin Harila, a Norwegian who set a new world record after climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over three months.
“I didn’t go, I was disgusted.” “Someone had just died up there,” said the angry climber.
In a GoFundMe set up for Mr Hassan’s family, he revealed he leaves behind three children and a wife, as well as an elderly grandmother.
At the time of publication, the site has already raised £63,000.
Speaking of the tragedy, new world record holder Kristin Harila said: “My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to Hassan’s family and loved ones and I am deeply saddened by this whole situation.”
Web has reached out to Lela Peak Expedition for comment.