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| Seven feared dead in K2 avalanche | Seven feared dead in K2 avalanche |
| (11 minutes later) | |
| At least seven climbers are feared dead in an avalanche after scaling the world's second-highest mountain, K2, expedition organisers have said. | At least seven climbers are feared dead in an avalanche after scaling the world's second-highest mountain, K2, expedition organisers have said. |
| There are fears more of the climbers, who are of mixed nationalities, could have died in the accident in northern Pakistan, but others reached safety. | There are fears more of the climbers, who are of mixed nationalities, could have died in the accident in northern Pakistan, but others reached safety. |
| A chunk from an ice pillar snapped away on Friday and broke ropes on a feature called the Bottleneck, reports said. | A chunk from an ice pillar snapped away on Friday and broke ropes on a feature called the Bottleneck, reports said. |
| Only a few hundred people have climbed K2 and dozens have died in the attempt. | Only a few hundred people have climbed K2 and dozens have died in the attempt. |
| Fatality rate | Fatality rate |
| One Basque climber who reached safety, Alberto Zerain, told reporters an 18-person international expedition hit trouble on descent. | |
| The mountaineers included Koreans, Pakistanis, Nepalis, a Dutchman and an Italian, reports said, but there are other nationalities and the exact details are unclear. | The mountaineers included Koreans, Pakistanis, Nepalis, a Dutchman and an Italian, reports said, but there are other nationalities and the exact details are unclear. |
| One of the climbers reported missing is Gerard McDonnell, 37, from County Limerick in Ireland, the first Irish person to reach the mountain's summit. | One of the climbers reported missing is Gerard McDonnell, 37, from County Limerick in Ireland, the first Irish person to reach the mountain's summit. |
| One expedition leader, Dutchman Wilco van Rooijen, was reported safe, as was Italian climber Marco Confortola. | |
| Many regard K2, at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), the most difficult mountain in the world to climb. | Many regard K2, at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), the most difficult mountain in the world to climb. |
| The fatality rate for those who reach the summit at 27% is about three times higher than that for Mount Everest. | |
| One of the worst single-day death tolls was on Everest on 11 May, 1996, when eight people died in summit attempts. |