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The 2021 K2 disaster is a mountaineering accident that took the lives of three mountaineers.

The 2021 K2 disaster refers to a mountaineering accident that occurred on February 5, 2021, on K2. During this incident, three mountaineers disappeared while attempting to scale K2 without supplementary oxygen during the harsh winter conditions. They were announced dead after weeks of search and rescue efforts.

The group consisted of four seasoned mountaineers: Ali Sadpara, a mountaineering veteran; his 21-year-old son, Sajid Sadpara; an Icelandic mountaineer, John Snorri Sigurjónsson; and a Chilean climber, Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto.

All except Sajid Sadpara perished during the expedition.

Ascend
On 4 February 2021, a group of four seasoned mountaineers began a winter expedition of K2 with the intention of making history by conquering the mountain in the winter without supplementary oxygen.

Weeks before, Nepalese-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja and a group of nine Nepalese mountaineers had made history by ascending the mountain in the harsh weather for the first time.

Ali Sadpara wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Bottleneck
On 5th February 2021, when the group reached the Bottleneck (K2), a particularly technical part of the climb, Sajid Sadpara started feeling altitude sickness. His father, Ali Sadpara, advised him to use some oxygen from the emergency kit. The kit malfunctioned and he decided to return to Camp 3, where he would await the return of his companions. This was the last time the three mountaineers were seen.

Sajid Sadpara waited hours at Camp 3 but when they did not return at the scheduled time, he started preparing for the worse. He returned to the base camp to arrange a search and rescue mission.

Search and Rescue Mission
On 6th February 2021, a search and rescue mission was arranged with mountaineers, including Sajid Sadpara, assisting the team. Helicopters flew up to 7,000 meters but were not able to locate the lost mountaineers. After the weather got worse the search and rescue operation was called off. Experts speculated that the three lost mountaineers would have perished by that time as they were lost in the death zone, where the chance of survival was slim to none.

Sajid continued looking for the bodies for the next few months with the assistance of other mountaineers and volunteers. The bodies of the three mountaineers were found in July, four months after their disappearance, when the snow started thawing. They were found hanging by the safety ropes near the Bottleneck.

As it was not possible to bring back the bodies, the three mountaineers were interred in the snow on K2.

Commenting on the death of his father and his mountaineering companions, Sajid Sadpara said: "He set many records including the winter ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2016 and earned immense respect and praise from the best climbers in the world. This is his lasting legacy."