Pakistani mountaineer Asma Mushtaq died after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending Spantik, a 7,027-metre peak in the Karakoram range of Gilgit-Baltistan, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said Thursday.
Mushtaq, 34, had successfully reached the summit and was in good health before beginning her descent, according to the club.
She developed the medical emergency at about 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) and could not survive despite immediate efforts by her mountain guides.
Her mountain guide, Akbar Ali, and expedition guide, Muhammad Amin, came to her assistance and provided emergency support under difficult high-altitude conditions.
“Despite the immediate and dedicated efforts of her mountain guides, who provided every possible assistance under extremely challenging conditions, she could not survive,” Karakoram Calling Treks said in its statement.
High-altitude illness can affect the lungs and brain as a result of hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, particularly when climbers ascend too rapidly without adequate acclimatisation.
Her expedition outfitter said Ali and another guide remained with Mushtaq and made every effort to keep her safe following the incident.
The company said it was coordinating with relevant authorities and Mushtaq’s family over arrangements following her death. Pakistani climber Shehroze Kashif said her body remained at Camp III.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan paid tribute to Mushtaq’s courage in undertaking the demanding expedition and described her death as a profound loss to her family and the mountaineering community.
Mushtaq was originally from Lahore and worked in Britain as a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, according to her social media profiles.
Away from her medical career, she was a traveller, vlogger and mountaineer who documented her expeditions on social media.
She had completed a winter ascent of the 4,076-metre Musa Ka Musallah peak and was associated with expeditions to Rupal and Arandu.
In a 2024 social media post seeking sponsorship for a K2 expedition, she described herself as “a doctor and mountaineer”.
