BERLIN — A record-setting Norwegian mountaineer pushed again Sunday in opposition to claims that she might have accomplished extra to save lots of the lifetime of a Pakistani porter who slipped off a slim path close to the height of the world’s most treacherous mountain and died there after a number of hours.

The circumstances of Mohammad Hassan’s July 27 dying on K2, the world’s second-highest peak, sparked ongoing controversy, with two climbers arguing that he might have been saved if all these on the mountain that day had aborted their climb and centered on getting him down safely.

The fallout from Hassan’s dying overshadowed a file established by Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her Sherpa information, Tenjin. By climbing K2 that day, they turned the world’s quickest climbers, scaling the world’s 14 highest mountains in 92 days.

Harila instructed The Associated Press on Sunday that “in the snowy condition we had up there that day, it wouldn’t be possible to carry him down.”

“I’m sure that if it was possible that we saw a chance to carry him down from there, everyone would have tried that,” she stated by Zoom from Norway. “But it was impossible.”

The uproar had been sparked by drone footage displaying dozens of climbers pushing previous a gravely injured Hassan towards the summit. The path to the height was crowded on July 27, described because the final day of the season for a potential ascent.

PHOTOS: Norwegian climber says it could have been inconceivable to hold injured Pakistani porter down snowy K2

In Pakistan, native authorities within the Gilgit-Baltistan area, which has jurisdiction over K2, shaped a five-member committee on Aug. 7 to analyze Hassan’s dying. The committee’s mandate famous that it’s essential to find out the info after “distressing reports circulating on various social media platforms.”

Investigators will attempt to decide, amongst different issues, whether or not extra might have been accomplished to save lots of Hassan, stated Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the Sports and Tourism division of Gilgit-Baltistan. He instructed the AP on Sunday that investigators are to submit their findings on Aug. 22.

Hassan, a 27-year-old father of three, was employed by the Pakistan-based expedition firm Lela Peak and was assigned to a staff of Russian climbers, stated firm director Anwar Syed.

Asked if she felt the controversy had tainted her file, Harila stated “of course,” however didn't elaborate. She appeared distraught at instances through the interview and stated she had acquired dying threats.

“We tried for hours to save him and we were on probably the most dangerous area” of K2, she stated including that she and her teammates had been “taking a very, very big risk.”

Harila stated Hassan slipped and fell off the slim path round 2:15 a.m. on July 27, dangling on a rope the other way up. At the time, Hassan had been second within the line of climbers. Harila stated she was eighth and her staff members had been in seventh and ninth place, respectively.

As they tried to drag Hassan onto the trail, an avalanche got here down close to the place her ahead fixing staff was. After 90 minutes of attending to Hassan, Harila and a teammate moved within the route of the summit to verify on the fixing staff, whereas her cameraman, Gabriel, stayed behind with Hassan, she stated.

Gabriel shared his oxygen with Hassan, gave him heat water and tried to heat him. She stated Gabriel stayed with the porter for two.5 hours however began working out of oxygen. Gabriel then moved towards the height to fulfill up with Harila’s sherpas who had additional oxygen tanks. At that point, there have been additionally others attending to Hassan, she stated.

When Gabriel arrived on the peak, Harila requested him how Hassan was doing. She stated Gabriel instructed her that he was “in very bad shape.”

On the way in which again down, she noticed Hassan‘s lifeless physique mendacity on the trail.

Harila rejected claims made by Austrian climber Wilhelm Steindl that extra would have been accomplished if a Westerner had been damage on the mountain. Steindl and German climber Philip Flaemig, who shot the drone footage, had deserted their K2 climb earlier that day due to dangerous climate.

“We did really try to save him and we would have done just the same if it was me or anyone else that was hanging upside down there,” she stated. “We couldn’t have done anything more.”

Harila stated Hassan didn’t appear to have correct gear or coaching as a high-altitude porter and that it appeared to have been his first ascent.

“It was a very tragic accident that happened on K2 that day,” Harila stated. “And we feel so sorry for Hassan himself and for his family, his wife and his kids and his mother.”

Hussain, the regional official, stated investigators would have a look at the porter’s gear and coaching. They may even assessment climate circumstances on July 27, together with avalanches, and study the actions of the expedition firm that employed Hassan.

The investigators are questioning porters and Sherpa guides, he stated, although it was not clear if overseas climbers can be interviewed as effectively. The staff has collected related paperwork from authorities departments and personal corporations concerned in K2 ascent. Hussain stated the investigators had been additionally visiting the K2 base camp and different related areas.

Steindl instructed the AP on Saturday that he felt extra might have been accomplished to save lots of Hassan. “Everyone would have had to turn back to bring the injured person back down to the valley.”

“I don’t want to kind of directly blame anybody,” Steindl stated. “I’m just saying there was no rescue operation initiated and that’s really very, very tragic because that’s actually the most normal thing one would do in a situation like that.”

In Hassan’s residence village of Tisar, mates and neighbors visited the household, providing prayers of condolence.

A childhood buddy, Basharat Hussain, stated Hassan had been decided to supply alternatives for his kids that he by no means had, together with an training.

“I think this is the most dehumanizing event in my life,” he stated, including that he hopes “it will not happen in the future.”

Steindl visited Hassan’s household and arrange a crowd-funding marketing campaign. After 4 days, donations reached simply over $137,000.

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Associated Press journalist Zarar Khan contributed to this story from Islamabad, Pakistan.

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