Helicopter pilots on Tuesday plucked a stranded Russian mountaineer from a northern peak in Pakistan's first such rescue at a height of more than 6,000 meters, ending his six-day ordeal, the military said.
The rescue of Alexander Gukov from Latok I, a mountain in the Karakoram range that is 7,145 meters high, following the death of his climbing partner, came after seven unsuccessful attempts, the military said in a statement.
The partner, Sergey Glazunov, fell to his death as the pair were descending the mountain last Wednesday, said Karrar Haidri, the secretary of Pakistan's Alpine Club.
Gukov has been airlifted to the nearest hospital in the town of Skardu and is said to be in good health, despite having gone three days without food while trapped at a height of 6,294 meters.
The pair began climbing on July 12, but eventually abandoned the effort and started their descent two weeks later in the mountain range bordering India and China.
Pakistan is considered a climbers' paradise, rivaling neighboring Nepal in the number of its peaks exceeding 7,000 meters, but fatalities are common among the enthusiasts who flock there in summer.
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