Spaniard Sergi Mingote dies climbing K2
'Dismayed by the news of the accident that has ended the life of a magnificent athlete,' Spain's Minister of Health Salvador Illa wrote on Twitter, describing Mingote as 'a personal friend.'
Spanish climber Sergi Mingote (49) died while climbing K2. as a team of climbers from Nepal on Saturday became the first mountaineers to successfully complete a winter attempt on its summit, the world's second tallest peak.
Mingote falls to his death on K2
The group of sherpas had paused at a point 70 metres short of the 8,611 metres (28,251 feet) peak to wait for each other before climbing into the world's history books together at 4:56 p.m.
Consternado por la noticia del accidente que ha acabado con la vida de un magnífico deportista, exalcalde socialista de Parets y amigo personal.
— Salvador Illa Roca/❤️ (@salvadorilla) January 16, 2021
Un abrazo y todo mi cariño a la familia y amigos de Sergi Mingote.
Located on the Pakistan China border, K2 is the only mountain over 8,000 metres that had not been summitted in the winter.
The group were named as Nirmal Purja, Gelje Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma G, Sona Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Pem Chhiri Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, and Dawa Tenjing Sherpa.
Their success was marred by the death on the mountain of renowned Spanish climber Sergi Mingote, who fell down a crevasse as he attempted to make his way down to Base Camp, Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told Reuters. Around 49 climbers in several teams are on K2 making attempts on the summit, weather permitting.
Triste fallecimiento de Sergi Mingote en el K2. Quería seguir haciendo historia formando parte de la primera expedición en coronar esta montaña en pleno invierno y un trágico accidente ha acabado con su vida. Un abrazo enorme para los seres queridos de este grandísimo deportista. pic.twitter.com/UJKccWphG2
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) January 16, 2021
'Dismayed by the news of the accident that has ended the life of a magnificent athlete,' Spain's Minister of Health Salvador Illa wrote on Twitter, describing Mingote as 'a personal friend.'
Mingote, 49, had climbed seven mountains over 8,000 meters without supplemental oxygen in less than two years.
First climbed in 1954 by Italian Achille Compagnoni, K2 is notorious for its sleep slopes and high winds, and in winter its surface becomes slick ice.
#K2 Los datos del Racetracker:
— RaceTracker (@RaceTrackertw) January 16, 2021
A las 11:19h recibimos señal de @Sergimingote desde 5.935m, por debajo del C1 y las 11:29h (10 minutos más tarde) a 5.296m, 639m más abajo, al lado del ABC.
Juan Pablo Mohr que bajaba con él ha tardado en bajar la misma distancia 40 minutos más. pic.twitter.com/9MmUuanwiL
Of the 367 people that had completed its ascent by 2018, 86 had died. The Pakistani military is regularly called in to rescue climbers using helicopters, but the weather often makes that difficult.
The previous highest altitude achieved on K2 in winter was 7,750 meters by Denis Urubko and Marcin Kaczkan, set nearly two decades ago.
The coronavirus pandemic had meant restrictions on travel severely impacted the traditional summer mountaineering season in the Karakoram range and Pakistan in particular, which is home to five of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 metres.