Climbers rescued from Pakistan mountain by army helicopter after accident
Five British climbers, including two Scots, have been rescued from a 22,500ft mountain in Pakistan after a trekking accident.
The group was involved in a fall on a glacier on the Koyo Zom peak on Sunday, according to Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
Two of the climbers, identified as William Sim and John Crook, were airlifted to safety later that day, but three others – Alastair Swinton from Fife, Uisdean Hawthorn from the Highlands and Thomas Michael Livingstone from Wales – remained on the peak overnight with their local guide.
They were finally airlifted to safety yesterday.
The Koyo Zom is the highest peak in the Hindu Raj mountain range and is located on the border between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral district and Gilgit-baltistan.
Mr Swinton survived a previous scare in 2013 when he was caught in an avalanche on Mont Blanc.
He escaped by “swimming” through a wall of snow and ice and walked away virtually unscathed.
Earlier this year, Scottishbased climber Tom Ballard and his Italian climbing partnerdanielenardidisappeared on the Himalayan peak Nanga Parbat in northern Pakistan.
Accidents in the area are common because of avalanches and sudden changes in weather.