Pakistani troops have rescued a renowned Slovenian mountaineer stuck under a narrow ice ledge on one of the world’s highest peaks for four days.
Tomaz Humar was trapped by bad weather on Nanga Parbat in northern Pakistan at a height of nearly 6,000m.
He was unable to untie his rope, which had to be severed as an army helicopter carried him away to safety.
It is believed to be the first time such a rescue has been carried out successfully at such a high altitude.
“He is absolutely all right,” military spokesman Col Atique Rehman is quoted as saying by Reuters.
Mr Humar is reported to have been taken to a hospital in the northern town of Gilgit. The rescue effort had been delayed because of the bad weather.
The Slovenian went up on a solo climb, on a route never scaled before. He became trapped on 5 August.
Mr Humar had been in a snow cave with little food and trapped by avalanches.
Grim conditions
Nanga Parbat is the most dangerous mountain in the world, officials say.
Nanga Parbat - one of the world’s most dangerous mountains
“We’ve been worried all along. He reported his sleeping bag and clothing getting wet and he says he’s very cold at night,” Nazir Sabir told the BBC’s World Today programme earlier.
“The area where he is stuck is very delicate and very steep. It’s probably one of the most complicated rescue operations in Himalayan history,” he said.
Mr Humar was carrying minimum rations because he wanted to climb as light as possible, Mr Sabir added.
The 8,125m Nanga Parbat peak - the westernmost in the Himalayan range - was first scaled in 1953 but only after 31 people had died in the attempt.
Nazir Sabir runs a Himalayan expedition outfit and is a close friend of Mr Humar.
Risky route
Mr Humar is no stranger to the hostile conditions on Nanga Parbat.
Two years ago, he made four attempts to scale the mountain from the Rupal face - considered the most dangerous of the three routes to the top.
He had to abandon the attempts through ill health.
His current chosen route along the Rupal face can be climbed by “only one in 1,000”, mountaineers say.
According to his website, Mr Humar, 36, has completed 1,500 ascents.
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Nice effort by army and nice ambitions of the person!
hope when we can a proper rescue teams for this kinda incidents.