ISLAMABAD: An army helicopter on Tuesday rescued four Italian and two Pakistani climbers stranded after being hit by a snow avalanche in the Ishkoman Valley.
A seven-member Pakistan-Italian friendship expedition comprising four Italian climbers led by Tarcisio Bellò, Nadeema and Shakeela, students of Karakoram International University, and a guide namely Mohammad Imtiaz from Shimshal valley, had started their adventure to climb an unknown 5,300-metre peak in Hindukush mountain range in Ishkoman valley on June 2.
On Monday, Mohammad Imtiaz, a Pakistani member of the expedition, was killed, while six, including foreigners, were injured by a snow avalanche.
Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club, told The Associated Press that the six rescued climbers were lifted on Tuesday to a hospital in Gilgit for medical treatment.
The climbers were at an altitude of around 17,390 feet in Ishkoman Valley in the Ghizar district.
Officials say all the rescued mountaineers were listed in a stable condition and none had life threatening injuries.
