Search team reaches suspected location of Pakistani climber Asma Mushtaq's body on Spantik, says minister

Search team reaches suspected location of Pakistani climber Asma Mushtaq's body on Spantik, notes minister.

Key points

• News DeskJamil Nagri Published August 26, 2026 Updated August 26, 2026 08: 39pm.
• Nevertheless, Alpine Club of Pakistan General Secretary Ayaz Shigri afterwards informed Dawn that the team could not find the body after a number of hours of search.
• Geis was among the 10 mountaineers who lost their lives after being struck by an avalanche on Broad Peak (8, 047 metres) last month.
• After suffering from high-altitude sickness, the 34-year-old climber died on Aug 20 while descending from the mountain, additionally known as Golden Peak.
• ACP's Shigri informed Dawn that the body was dispatched via Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Skardu Airport on Wednesday morning.

News DeskJamil Nagri Published August 26, 2026 Updated August 26, 2026 08: 39pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Notably, a recovery team reached the spot where the body of deceased Pakistani climber Asma Mushtaq was suspected to be buried under the snow on Gilgit-Baltistan's Spantik Peak, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar remarked on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, Alpine Club of Pakistan General Secretary Ayaz Shigri afterwards informed Dawn that the team could not find the body after a number of hours of search. He remarked it was unclear whether the team would continue their search on Thursday or delay the mission, stressing the weather's importance.

After suffering from high-altitude sickness, the 34-year-old climber died on Aug 20 while descending from the mountain, additionally known as Golden Peak. Her body was remarked to be at Camp 3. It is located at a height of approximately 6, 250 metres.

Efforts to retrieve her body were earlier disrupted due to severe weather.

In an update posted to social media, Tarar remarked that the search team had reached the place where the body was suspected to be. "However, because the place is very large and due to heavy snowfall over the past two days, the body is now completely covered under the snow, making it difficult to locate, " he continued.

According to the information minister, the rescue team's search operation had been ongoing for two hours as of around 4pm.

Highlighting that the six-member local team consists of highly professional climbers, Shigri remarked Pakistan Army helicopters were anticipated to airlift Mushtaq's body to Skardu after its arrival at the base camp.

After heavy snowfall had halted the retrieval efforts on Sunday, the team had resumed its search operation on Tuesday once weather conditions improved.

During her ascent, Mushtaq had successfully reached the 7, 027-metre summit of Spantik and was in good health at the time, the ACP remarked in statements issued on Thursday.

Nevertheless, she developed a serious high-altitude medical emergency at an elevation of concerning 6, 400 metres during the descent.

High-altitude sickness encompasses a range of pulmonary and cerebral conditions caused by hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, due to rapid ascent and inadequate acclimatisation to high altitudes.

Shigri earlier informed Dawn that Mushtaq was part of a five-member Pakistani women's expedition team that summited Spantik. It included climbers Zoni Aslam, Zaba Shigri, Shama and Sohana.

Climate change-induced shifts in weather patterns have worsened conditions on the peaks of the Karakoram Range in GB, creating serious difficulties for mountaineers. Body of US climber shifted to Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the body of US climber Sarah Mallory Geis was shifted to Islamabad on Wednesday for repatriation to her country, a day after it was airlifted to Skardu.

ACP's Shigri informed Dawn that the body was dispatched via Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Skardu Airport on Wednesday morning. The body was received by an international insurance firm that is responsible for its repatriation to her country.

Geis was among the 10 mountaineers who lost their lives after being struck by an avalanche on Broad Peak (8, 047 metres) last month. Her body was recovered from Broad Peak 22 days after she went missing in the deadly incident.

Up until now, Geis was one of the last two climbers from the expedition whose bodies could not be retrieved. Earlier, Shigri remarked that the search for the last member of the expedition, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, was additionally under way.

Jamil Nagri is a Gilgit-Baltistan-based correspondent for Dawn with over a decade of experience in journalism. His reporting and feature writing focus on CPEC, climate change, the environment, and adventure tourism. He can be discovered on X at @jamilnagri.

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