Mountaineer Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to summit Everest, was forced to abandon her K2 expedition and evacuated from base camp due to deteriorating health. Reports indicate her health improved slightly due to the decrease in altitude. She is receiving treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
Mountaineer Samina Baig was flown by Pakistan Army helicopters to a hospital in Skardu after her health worsened during an expedition on K2. Another climber, Amina Shigri, also left the summit due to oxygen problems.
Samina and Amina were part of an eight-member team with climbers from Pakistan and Italy. Samina, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, led the team with Italian Agostino Da Polenza. She had to leave the expedition due to serious health issues at the K2 base camp.
Family sources said that Italian doctors with the team advised moving Samina on horseback to a lower altitude because no helicopter was available. The journey from the base camp to Skardu usually takes a week, but the team hurried to get her medical help quickly. They reached Askoli, 130 km from Skardu, on Sunday morning and then drove to Dassu. From there, an army helicopter flew Samina to Skardu.
Samina was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Skardu with lung problems and is expected to go to Islamabad today. She first experienced severe breathing issues at the base camp. Italian doctors treated her, but her condition worsened.
Meanwhile, Amina Shigri started her trek back to Shigar on Saturday. The other two Pakistani climbers, Nadima and Samana, and their four Italian teammates are continuing their K2 expedition.
Samina became the first Pakistani woman to summit the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. In 2013 at the age of 21 and has since set off on a number of expeditions around the world. She has also claimed Nanga Parbat, and the Seven Summits in seven continents. While Baig’s summit attempt was cut short, her climbing spirit remains undeterred.
We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her back on the mountain soon.