ISLAMABAD: A Slovenian mountaineer, suffering from high altitude sickness, was rescued from the Karakoram mountain range by a Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter on Monday, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“Mr Kajetan Rock Decman, a Slovenian climber who fell sick during an expedition in the Karakoram mountain range at a height of about 6,000 metres, was rescued by army aviation helicopters yesterday,” the ISPR statement said.
The statement further said that Mr Rock was part of seven-member expedition of the Karakoram mountain range. When the expedition reached the international hiking and altitude expedition camp (IHEC) at 6,000 M, the moutaineer began suffering from a bout of high altitude sickness.
His team sent a rescue request to the army which immediately responded by sending helicopters to save the mountaineer’s life.
The ISPR statement added that the Slovenian climber has been evacuated to Skardu where his condition is reported as stable.
At high altitudes oxygen levels are low, the pressure of air is one third of that at sea level, wind speed is very high, and temperature drops very rapidly. These factors make breathing and movement difficult, easily lead to frostbite and make a person get tired easily.
High altitude sickness is a life-threatening condition characterised by thickening of blood and death of brain cells caused due to oxygen deprivation.
As very little oxygen reaches the brain, climbers find that their minds become dull and they revert to the mental capacity of a child.
