Pakistani mountaineer and UK-based doctor Asma Mushtaq has died after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending Spantik in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The 34-year-old had successfully reached the 7,027-meter summit and was reportedly in good health at the time, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
However, during the descent, Mushtaq developed a medical emergency at an altitude of around 6,400 meters, or 21,000 feet.
Her mountain guide, Akbar Ali, and expedition guide, Muhammad Amin, immediately came to her assistance but were unable to save her.
“Despite the immediate and dedicated efforts of her mountain guides, who provided every possible assistance under extremely challenging conditions, she could not survive,” Alpine Club of Pakistan Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri said in a condolence statement.
High-altitude sickness can involve serious pulmonary and cerebral conditions caused by hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, particularly when the body does not have enough time to acclimatize to high elevations.
Mushtaq was originally from Lahore and worked in the United Kingdom as a doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, according to her social media profiles.
She was also a passionate mountaineer, traveler and vlogger who regularly documented her expeditions online. She had previously completed a winter ascent of the 4,076-meter Musa ka Musallah peak and was associated with expeditions to Rupal and Arandu.
In a 2024 post seeking sponsorship for a K2 expedition, she described herself as “a doctor and mountaineer.”
Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary-General Ayaz Ahmed Shigri said Mushtaq was part of a five-member Pakistani women’s expedition team that successfully summited Spantik. Other members of the team included Zoni Aslam, Zaba Shigri, Shama and Sohana.
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