Jan. 28 (UPI) — An elite Polish climbing team rescued a French woman who became stranded while scaling one of Pakistan’s deadliest mountains.
Four members of the team were were brought to Nanga Parbat by a Pakistani military helicopter, also known as “Killer Mountain,” from nearby K2 to rescue Elisabeth Revol and her Polish climbing partner, Tomasz Mackiewicz.
They were dropped below the climbers’ last known position and scaled the mountain overnight to find Revol alive.
Revol and Mackiewicz are believed to have reached the summit Nanga Parbat but became stranded Friday when Mackiewicz exprienced acute mountain sickness, The New York Times reported.
Ludovic Giambiasi, a friend who had been in contact with Revol, said the search for Mackiewicz was called off due to unsafe conditions on the mountain, including winds of more than 50 miles and a wind chill nearing minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The rescue for Tomasz is unfortunately not possible – because of the weather and altitude it would put the life of rescuers in extreme danger,” he wrote on Facebook.
All five living climbers are expected to be evacuated by helicopter to the town of Skardu later on Sunday if weather permits.
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain in the world and earned the nickname “Killer Mountain” after 30 people died attempting the climb before the first successful summit in 1953.
