Korean climber Kim dies while descending Broad Peak

GILGIT: Veteran South Korean climber and skier Kim Hong-Bin, 57, died on Tuesday while descending Broad Peak. Kim became the 44th mountaineer to scale 14 8,000-metre peaks on Monday by successfully scaling Broad Peak. He was the first disabled climber to achieve the goal. The climber had lost all of his fingers during a climb on Mount Denali (6,190 metres) in 1991. According to reports, Kim fell 15 metres into a crevasse while descending from Camp 4.

He was part of an expedition arranged by Blue Sky Treks and Tours. The company had announced that Kim, Sofie Lenaerts, Stef Maginelle, Yousuf, Imtiyaz, Mehdi and Hussian had reached the summit of Broad Peak.

Earlier, Pakistani military helicopters assisted in efforts to locate and rescue the South Korean climber. The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the South Korean embassies in Pakistan and China had requested search teams.