- GB govt suspends all expeditions, evacuates 43 mountaineers through helicopters
- Identification process of victims completed
The security forces, in a major search operation on Monday, arrested over 37 suspects in connection with the killing of 11 people, including 10 foreign tourists, at a base camp of Nanga Parbat in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan on Sunday.
The suspects, who were taken into custody, were later shifted to an unidentified location for interrogation.
The Gilgit-Baltistan deputy inspector general told reporters that the police, the army and scouts were taking part in the search operation, adding that a base camp had been set up in the area.
The Gilgit-Baltistan government also suspended expeditions on its second-highest peak, evacuating 43 climbers from Nanga Parbat by helicopters, 19 foreigners and 24 locals.
“We are really shocked, traumatised and angry. Pakistan is well-known in the mountaineering community. It was a brutal massacre. These people were killed for no reason,” said Manzoor Hussain, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
Around 40 remaining climbers on Nanga Parbat were evacuated to Gilgit with treks on the peak now being unsafe.
“We are reviewing the overall security situation. The fallout apparently will be serious,” adding, “There will be no further expeditions on Nanga Parbat this summer and requests for winter climbs will also be subject to a security review. This season is over for them.”
Identification:
Meanwhile, the identification of the foreign tourists and the Pakistani guide killed in the attack has been completed.
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences spokesman Dr Wasim said two of the slain tourists belonged to the Republic of Slovakia‚ three were from Ukraine‚ two from China‚ and one each from Lithuania‚ Nepal and the United States.
The guide had also been identified.
The names of the victims are Anton, Dmitri, Kashaieve Badavi, Ernestas Lithvania, Yang Chun Heng, Jib Rao Jian Heng, Hong Lu Chen, Sona, Peter Sperka, Igor Sviergun, and guide was identified as Ali Hussain.
The initial post-mortem report revealed that all tourists were killed by bullet shots.
The PIMS spokesman said two tourists were killed after their hands were tied up while the others were killed by bullet shots in the head and neck.
According to sources, seven bodies were taken to PolyClinicHospital after autopsy while the bodies of the three Chinese were kept at PIMS.
The spokesman said the bodies will be handed over to the embassies concerned in Islamabad as and when they contacted the Pakistani authorities.
