The body of Pakistani climber Dr Asma Mushtaq, who died after suffering a medical emergency while descending Spantik Mountain, has been recovered, Deputy Commissioner Shigar Sher Afzal said on Monday.
Mushtaq died on August 20 during her descent from the 7,027-metre peak in the Karakoram range.
According to the deputy commissioner, local mountaineers recovered her body during a search operation and began carrying it towards the base camp. The team has since reached Camp II.
The recovery operation is being carried out in difficult weather, with fresh snowfall continuing at higher elevations since Monday evening.
Sher Afzal said the team is expected to reach the base camp on Tuesday, provided the snowfall does not cause further delays or disruption.
Spantik, also known as Golden Peak, is one of Pakistan's prominent high-altitude climbing destinations and lies in the Nagar-Shigar region of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Hours earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the search and rescue team looking for the body of the Pakistani climber located her remains beyond Camp 3 on Gilgit-Baltistan's Spantik peak.
According to the update issued by the minister, the team was assessing site conditions and finalising arrangements for safe recovery and controlled evacuation to base camp, taking into account the high-altitude terrain and associated risks.
The Pakistani climber died on August 20 after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending from the 7,027-metre-high Spantik Mountain in the Karakoram range, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
The recovery operation had been a prolonged and difficult mission due to harsh weather conditions at high altitude.
The operation to retrieve her body had previously been suspended after heavy snowfall and strong winds forced the team to turn back while approaching Camp 3. When weather conditions improved, the rescue team departed from base camp again and headed toward Camp 2.
Five days earlier, Tarar had said the rescue team had reached the suspected location of the body, but that heavy snowfall over the preceding two days had completely buried it under the snow, making it extremely difficult to locate.
"Because the place is very large and due to heavy snowfall over the past two days, the body is now completely covered under the snow," he had said, adding that the retrieval operation was underway.
High-altitude porters had been expected to reach Camp 3, retrieve the body and bring it down to base camp, but deteriorating weather conditions had at one point prevented the team from proceeding.
A helicopter was subsequently authorised to assist in the retrieval operation, with coordination established between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and the Force Command Northern Areas.
Alternative arrangements were also put in place, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif being kept updated on the situation throughout.
