French climber rescued on Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat flies home

GILGIT BALTISTAN: The French mountaineer who was saved in a daring night-time rescue on a Pakistan peak nicknamed “killer mountain” Nanga Parbat flew home Tuesday, vowing to come back to scale other mountains.

Elisabeth Revol was rescued by an elite group of Polish climbers who scaled part of the 8,125 metres (26,660 feet) mountain Nanga Parbat in darkness overnight Saturday and Sunday to reach her.

They were unable to reach a second climber, Polish national Tomek (Tomasz) Mackiewicz, however, making the “terrible and painful” decision to leave him behind.

“Good bye Pakistan. I will come again to climb mountains of Pakistan but not Nanga Parbat,” Revol said in a departure message shared by the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

“Thanks to all official(s) including Pakistan Army, Alpine Club of Pakistan and local authorities,” she was quoted as saying in the message.

The French-Polish pair ran into trouble after making a late descent to a camp Thursday.

They were trapped on the side of the mountain for the night without a tent, battered by frigid temperatures and high winds during the winter season.

The rescue mission was launched after the missing alpinists were located Friday by fellow mountaineers using binoculars. They spotted Revol attempting to climb down while Mackiewicz appeared to be crawling due to frostbite.

Nanga Parbat, in northern Pakistan, is the world’s ninth-highest mountain at 8,125 metres (26,660 feet).

It earned the nickname “killer mountain” after more than 30 climbers died trying to climb it before the first successful summit in 1953.

In July last year a Spaniard and an Argentinian were presumed dead after they went missing while trying to summit Nanga Parbat.