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Kristin Harila Responds to “Misinformation and Hatred” After Climber’s Death

Pakistani porter Mohammad Hassan died on K2 on July 27 while other climbers worked on climbing and descending around him

Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and Nepalese guide Tenjin Lama Sherpa recently climbed the 14 highest peaks in a record-setting 92 days, which is faster than Nirmal “Nims” Purja’s time of six months and six days. Their team was accused of ignoring a fallen climber, Pakistani porter Mohammad Hassan, during their climb of K2. Hassan, who was married and had three sons, died from his injuries. Harila has said the accusations are groundless.

Austrian climber Wilhelm Steindl told the Austrian newspaper The Standard that he watched drone footage of climbers ascending K2 while he was in base camp. He said that in the footage, Hassan can be seen in distress while others ascend and descend around him. “Through the accounts of three different eyewitnesses, I can report that this man was still alive while about 50 people were walking past him,” he said. Steindl did not say who was filmed in the drone footage. Hassan’s accident took place at around 2:20 a.m., two hours before Philip Flaemig, the drone operator, started filming in the dark. He continued until 5:30 a.m. Halung Dorchi Sherpa with 8K Expeditions, who spent time helping Hassan, told his team leader Lakpa Sherpa that Hassan’s oxygen mask broke during his fall.

Harila wrote about the incident and accusations on her website, saying, that she’s reached out to Hassan’s family, adding, “This was no one’s fault, you cannot comment when you do not understand the situation, and sending death threats is never okay. Lama, myself and especially Gabriel, did everything we could for him at the time. This happened at the most dangerous part of the deadliest mountain in the world, and you should remember that at 8000+ meters, your survival instincts impact the decisions you make.” Read her full statement here.

In May 2006, Canadian Andrew Brash was attempting Mount Everest with a group of other climbers. About 200 metres shy of the summit, Brash and his team saved Australian climber Lincoln Hall’s life after they found him laying in the snow, nearly dead. Hall was descending from the summit the previous day when he began to suffer from altitude sickness. Hall’s partners declared him dead and continued without him. It’s reported that over 40 other climbers descended without helping. Brash returned in 2008 and climbed Everest.

 

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