New Zealanders Martin Walter Schmidt and his son Denali Walter Schmidt are reported missing on K2 8611-M

Martin Walter Schmidt

Denali Walter Schmidt 

Alpine Club of Pakistan, to its utmost regret, announce another accident in the Karakoram during the present climbing season. New Zealander Martin Walter Schmidt(53 yrs)  and Denali Walter Schmidt (25 yrs), father and son in relation, are reported missing on 28th July afternoon on the Second highest mountain the 8,611 metre high K-2 from 7,400 metres high Camp III. Both father and son had earlier climbed to Camp on 25th July when all the climbers were descending down the K-2 as the accompanying Sherpas couldn't reach Camp III due to deep snow conditions and being hit by an avalanche. Earlier large avalanches were spotted hitting areas of the 8,000 metres Camp IV. All teams, therefore had decided to descend back to Base Camp.

Contact with the Kiwi mountaineers was lost in the afternoon of 26th July with the Base Camp group leader Australian Christopher Mellor Madden Warner. On 27th July a Nepali Sherpa was sent up to Camp III to check up the matter. The Sherpa who reached Camp in the afternoon today ie, 28th July reported no signs of the mountaineers in their Camp III tent which appeared damaged due to an avalanche hit. He found mountaineer’s ice axes and crampons lying intact. It is assumed that both the climbers might have been swept down by an avalanche. Search is continuing with more help from Base Camp tomorrow ie, 29th June with survey of Advance Base Camp area. The Sherpa accompanied by another climber has descended down to 6,700 metres high Camp II.

It may be mentioned that both Martin Walter Schmidt(53 yrs)  and Denali Walter Schmidt (25 yrs) earlier climbed 8,047 metres high Broad Peak just 14 days earlier on 14th July 2013 and wanted to summit K-2 with good acclimatization condition achieved on Broad Peak.