An Australian and a Canadian climber died last week in northern Pakistan while trying to climb K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, officials from the two countries said Thursday. The death of Matthew Eakin was announced by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which expressed its “condolences to his family and friends”. His body was found via drone video on Thursday. Canada’s foreign affairs department said in a statement that it was aware of the death of a Canadian in Pakistan. She did not elaborate, citing privacy concerns and saying only that officials were “providing consular assistance to the family.” Earlier, a Pakistani mountaineering official and the Canadian press reported that the body of Richard Cartier, who went missing in a separate incident on the same mountain on July 19, was also found by a search party on K2. Cartier was 60 years old and an experienced climber. K2, on the China-Pakistan border in the Karakorum range, has one of the deadliest records, with most climbers dying on the descent, where the slightest mistake can trigger an avalanche and become fatal. Only a few hundred have successfully reached its summit. In contrast, Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, has been climbed more than 9,000 times. Eakin’s devastated friends posted tributes on social media to honor him, saying his death was a huge loss to the climbing community. A friend, Felicity Symons, said of their 23-year friendship: “I will always see your smile in the clouds. Rest in peace my dear friend in the mountains you loved.” Karrar Haidri, the deputy chief of the Pakistan Alpine Club, which is coordinating search and rescue missions with the Pakistani government and military, confirmed the deaths of Eakin and Cartier. “We extend our condolences to the friends and family members of the Australian and Canadian climbers who lost their lives on K2,” Heidry told The Associated Press. Also last week, a third climber, Ali Akbar Sakki from Afghanistan, died on K2. Shakki suffered a heart attack while trying to climb the summit, Hydri said. The Canadian embassy in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dawn, one of Pakistan’s English-language newspapers, reported earlier this week that the two climbers had been traced between Camp 1 and Camp 2 on K2 after they both went missing on July 19 in separate incidents. K2 is also one of the coldest and windiest climbs. At points along the route, climbers must navigate nearly sheer rock faces that rise 80 degrees while avoiding frequent and unpredictable avalanches. —— Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.
