ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥� Teams in Pakistan searched on foot for the remains of 10 climbers on the world鈥檚 12th-highest mountain as poor weather kept helicopters out of the air Tuesday, authorities said.
Helicopters were on standby but unable to fly by noon for the ongoing search and recovery operation on Broad Peak, the regional government said in a statement Tuesday.
The climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain and the United States were swept away by the avalanche Thursday in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, which the Alpine Club of Pakistan called one of the country’s deadliest mountaineering disasters.
Ground teams located the remains of eight climbers and at least three bodies were brought down the mountain on Saturday, officials said.
, a Nepal-born former British Army soldier widely known as Nims Dai, was among the climbers killed in the avalanche while attempting to scale the peak. His expedition company said Saturday that the world had lost one of mountaineering鈥檚 greats.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday expressed condolences to the families of those killed, saying he was deeply saddened by the tragedy.
鈥淢y heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved families and to the governments and people of China, Nepal, Oman, the United Kingdom and the United States,鈥� Dar said in a post on X.
Dar also offered condolences to the family of Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, saying his courage and passion for the mountains would be remembered with pride.
鈥淭he determination and pursuit of excellence shown by all those who perished embodied the true spirit of mountaineering and will continue to inspire generations,鈥� Dar said.
Dar praised the 鈥渢ireless efforts of our rescue and recovery teams鈥� and said Pakistan remained committed to the ongoing search and recovery operation in close coordination with the Nepal, Oman, U.K. and U.S. embassies.
Mountaineering accidents are because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather. A Chinese mountaineer died last year after being struck by falling rocks while descending K2, the world鈥檚 second-highest mountain, in northern Pakistan.
Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered at the request of their families and governments. If the family declines a rescue, the remains are left at the spot where the climber died.
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Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.
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