February 09, 2021
published at 1:02 AMReuters
A handout photo. Mohammad Ali Sadpara (L) poses for a photo with a member of Alpine Club of Pakistan in Islamabad, Pakistan on Feb 8, 2021.
Reuters via Alpine Club of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani military helicopters continued to search for three missing climbers on the world’s second highest mountain K2 on Monday, as hope of their survival faded rapidly.
Muhammad Ali Sadpara, 45, of Pakistan, John Snorri, 47, of Iceland, and Juan Pablo Mohr, 33, of Chile, were last seen Friday around noon at what is considered the most difficult part of the climb: the Bottleneck, a steep and narrow gully just 300 metres shy of the 8,611 metre (28,251 ft) high K2.
Pakistan halts search for three climbers missing on K2 2 minutes read
Islamabad, Feb 8 (efe-epa).- The Pakistan Army on Monday halted search operations for three missing mountaineers on K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, officials said.
“The search operation has been called off for now. The authorities will decide whether to resume it tomorrow or not,” Abu Zafar, President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told EFE
Earlier in the morning, two Pakistan army helicopters resumed an aerial search for the third consecutive day to locate the three missing mountaineers who lost contact on Friday when they tried to climb K2.
As of 3:30 am, Monday, February 8, 2021,(Pakistan Standard Time), John Snorri, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, and Juan Pablo (JP) Mohr Prieto remain missing, with no trace of them found after multiple helicopter searches.
We are learning more about what happened at the Bottleneck directly from Ali’s son, Sajid. Of note, he said he and his father were climbing without supplemental oxygen but had a bottle in their pack for emergencies. Also, when he left the three missing climbers, they had no radio or satellite phone. He believes they summited and had an accident on the descent in the Bottleneck, but he cannot be sure.
At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of terrified New Yorkers fled the city, which had fast become an epicenter for the virus. Alexander Goldfarb had the opposite response.
The doctor immediately drove to Queens, New York, to treat patients at Elmhurst Hospital, which had been decimated by the virus and suffered a shortage of healthcare providers. He worked at the hospital for a week straight, intubating around six patients every night.
âAll of this was a great risk to himself,â said Robert S. Brown â59, a longtime colleague of Goldfarbâs. At the time, personal protective equipment was in short supply, but Goldfarb âcared about his patients and wanted to save lives.â
Dr. Alex Goldfarb
tefillin in his backpack.
Alex Goldfarb, 57, was an esteemed doctor and also an avid mountain climber. The Russian-born Goldfarb went missing two weeks ago on the five-mile-tall Pastore Peak, the 12
th tallest mountain in the world. His body was found near the mountainâs summit.
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âEven in Pakistan, Alex wore his yarmulke and
tzitzis proudly. And he always brought his
tefillin on the mountain,â said Rabbi Mendy Uminer of Chabad of Chestnut Hill. âClimbers measure everything they take with them. They even share a toothbrush. But, Alex wouldnât go anywhere without
tefillin. He took them to the highest and most remote altitudes you could find.â