Two Pakistani military helicopters began an operation yesterday to rescue the two European mountain climbers after they got stuck while trying to reach the peak of Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.
Karrar Haidri, a top official of the Pakistan Alpine Federation, said four volunteers from a Polish expedition were airlifted to the base camp of Pakistan's Nanga Parbat mountain and dropped close to the two stranded climbers: Tomasz Mackiewicz of Poland and Elisabeth Revol of France.
Later yesterday, Polish media, which have followed the developments closely, reported that Revol had been found alive, citing tweets by a friend and other sources. She had frostbite on her feet, could not walk and the operation to get her off the mountain was expected to be difficult.
Mackiewicz reportedly is suffering from snow blindness and altitude sickness. A day earlier his sister was quoted in Polish media as saying it would be a miracle if he survives.
A military statement said the two military helicopters began the rescue mission on the request of the Polish and French embassies.
The 8,126-meter Nanga Parbat is the ninth-highest in the world.