Islamabad, July 4, 2025: Klara Kolouchova, a famous mountaineer and the first female from the Czech Republic to climb Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga, has passed away while trying to ascend Nanga Parbat, sources reported on Friday.
Klara Kolouchova, aged 46, was one of the seven-member group, also including her husband, who had arrived in Pakistan on June 15 and reached the base camp two days later.
“Her feet slipped from a slope and she fell into a ravine,” Nizam-ud-Din, Additional Deputy Commissioner Diamir told AFP, adding that one of her team members reported the death.
A rescue mission is currently in progress to retrieve her remains, with helicopters taking part in the operation. However, officials mentioned they are facing major obstacles due to the severe altitude and rough landscape.
“The exact location of her body will first be traced. Once confirmed, appropriate rescue operations will be initiated to retrieve the body by using a helicopter service.”
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The Alpine Club of Pakistan also confirmed Kolouchova’s death, reporting that the tragic event took place around 4am local time.
“She was an inspirational climber and a source of motivation for women mountaineers,” Karrar Haidri, the vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told AFP. “Her death leaves a void in the climbing fraternity,” he further added.
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Her last Instagram post was a photo and video of her unsuccessful bid to climb the same mountain in 2024. “Last year, the Naked Mountain laid me bare. Stripped me to silence, to stillness, to soul,” the caption read. “This time, we aim higher. This time, we summit,” she added.
This incident is the first casualty of the summer season, according to the Alpine Club, which monitors climbing expeditions in the country. The summer climbing season starts in early June and runs until late August.
Himalayan peak Nanga Parbat earned itself the nickname “killer mountain” after more than 30 people died trying to climb it before the first successful summit in 1953. The 8,125-metre (26,656-foot) mountain is one of the world’s most dangerous climbs with a reported one-in-five fatality rate.
