Climbing catastrophe as 9 perish on K-2

By Manzar Shigri

GILGIT, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least nine climbers have perished on K-2 in Pakistan in the worst day for mountaineering on the world's second-highest peak, and the toll could rise further, expedition organizers said on Sunday.

Those confirmed dead included three South Koreans, two Nepalese, along with Serbian, Norwegian, Dutch and French climbers.

Unconfirmed reports said one Pakistani had died and several foreign and local climbers were unaccounted for.

Catastrophe struck on Friday, when a chunk of ice broke off from a serac, a pillar or cuboid of ice, and tore away fixed lines from a perilous steep gully known as the Bottleneck, above 8,200 meters (26,902 ft).

Several expeditions were on the mountain, including a Korean team that was making its descent after summiting the 8,611 meter peak, in northern Pakistan near the border with China.

The Korean team lost five members, including the two Nepalese, in the ice fall.

"They were returning from the summit when an avalanche at the Bottleneck hit them," Ghulam Mohammad, owner of Blue Sky Travels and Tours, told Reuters. "Our liaison officer at the Base Camp confirmed the death of five."

Three more fatalities were confirmed by Brigadier Mohammad Akram, vice president of Pakistan's Adventure Foundation.