SINGAPOREAN mountaineers Robert Goh, 42, and Edwin Siew, 38, are alive and well.
An avalanche late on Friday night at an area called the Bottleneck, about 8.2km below the K2 summit, has resulted in the death of as many as 11 climbers, international media reported.
The two Singaporeans are attempting to summit K2 - considered the world's most technically- challenging mountain - without oxygen. K2 is also the world's second-tallest mountain on the Pakistan-China border.
Their summit attempt is uncertain now as the men told my paper, via satellite phone, yesterday that they "will wait a
few more days... before making a decision".
Also in their expedition are Nepalese Kami Ang Chirring Sherpa and Jamling Sherpa.
Dr Goh and Mr Siew were at Camp 3 (7,400m) last Saturday morning when they got wind of the avalanche via a walkie-talkie message from Base Camp.
They were asked to stay on to assist in rescue efforts, which they did, despite having already spent two nights at Camp 3.
Dr Goh, a research scientist, told my paper via satellite phone yesterday: "The air at Camp 3 is so thin that our bodies degenerate very fast."
Dr Goh added that it was "harrowing" when they heard "shocking stories" from survivors. "One lady literally watched her husband fall into an abyss.
"And we also heard about a father who called his daughter in France from the summit to tell her he made it to the top. But he later collapsed and died due to a lack of oxygen."
The two men are now resting at Base Camp, having returned on Sunday.
Mr Siew, the head of training and operations in Outward Bound Singapore, considered himself very lucky. He recalled: "We were very nearly on the same summit window as the ill-fated group.
"We reached Base Camp later than most climbers because we went to Nepal for training. Things were pushed back partly because I had an exam for a course I was taking in June."
Yesterday, the two men were going round to the various camps to offer condolences, according to their website, the Singapore Mountaineers.
Mr Siew said of their impending push for the summit: "Be assured that we will not do anything foolishly. Safety is at the top of our minds."
Source: 8000ers.com & K2Climb.net, Graphics: Adapted from Reuters
