Pakistani climbers treated for frostbite of fingers in Spain

Ghulam Murtaza, a high-altitude porter who helps mountaineers to summit mountains, lost six fingers in an accident last year and was treated by a Spanish mountaineer in Spain.

Ghulam Murtaza belongs to Sadpara area of ​​Skardu who was working as a high altitude porter to help mountaineers since 2021 but is no longer able to do this work.

Speaking to Independent Urdu, Ghulam Murtaza said that in July last year, at an altitude of 8,000 meters, when he was carrying 30 kg of luggage on his body with an American mountaineer, he had an accident on the broad pack. Due to which six of his fingers were burnt in the snow due to ‘frostbite’.

‘Frostbite is a condition where your skin freezes when exposed to cold weather or cold water. Symptoms of frostbite may include numbness, swelling, blisters and blackened skin in the affected area.’

According to Ghulam Murtaza, the height of Broad Peak was around eight thousand 47 meters.

He said his life was saved by two climbing Australian brothers who brought him to base camp the next day.

Ghulam Murtaza says that two Australian mountaineer brothers left their expedition unfinished and saved their lives out of humanitarianism.

Ghulam Murtaza said that the next day he himself came to Camp 3 and from there the soldiers of Pakistan Army rescued him and brought him to Skardu CMH Hospital where he was treated for eight days after which he was sent to his village Sadpara.

How did Ghulam Murtaza go to Spain for treatment?

Ghulam Murtaza said that while he was doing indigenous treatment at home, he received a call from Spanish mountaineer Alex Ciccone to immediately reach Islamabad, from where he was sent by the Spanish mountaineer for three months at his own expense. He was taken to Spain and treated there.

Ghulam Murtaza has recently reached Pakistan after treatment and he said that if he was not treated on time, his body was at risk of getting cancer.

He also thanked the government of Spain, including the Spanish mountaineer, who saved his life by treating him in time.

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