A Chinese mountaineer has died on K2 after being struck by falling rocks during her descent from the world’s second-highest peak, Pakistani officials confirmed on Thursday.
Guan Jing was returning from the summit on Tuesday night when the accident occurred on the Abruzzi Spur route, Shigar Deputy Commissioner Arif Ahmad told AFP. “An army aviation team is ready to recover the body but is waiting for better weather,” he added.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the incident happened between Camp I and Advanced Base Camp — a section notorious for frequent rockfalls. Guan was among around 30 climbers who reached K2’s summit on Monday before beginning their descent.
This marks the fourth fatality in Pakistan’s summer climbing season, according to the Alpine Club, which monitors expeditions across the country’s mountain ranges.
K2, straddling the Pakistan–China border, stands at 8,611 metres (28,251 feet). Although shorter than Mount Everest by 238 metres, it is considered far more technically demanding, with steep slopes and unpredictable weather making it one of the world’s most dangerous climbs.
