Renowned Czech mountaineer Klára Poláčková has died after reportedly falling into a ravine while attempting to scale Nanga Parbat, Pakistan’s second-highest peak and one of the world’s most dangerous mountains.

 

The 46-year-old climber was part of a seven-member expedition, which included her husband. The team had arrived in Pakistan on June 15 and reached Bonar Base Camp in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district on June 17.

 

According to Pakistan’s Alpine Club, the accident occurred early Thursday morning between Camp I and Camp II. Preliminary reports suggest an oxygen cylinder explosion may have triggered the fall, but this has yet to be confirmed.

 

Klára’s teammates managed to return to base camp and confirm her death. Recovery teams have been dispatched, though officials say the mountain’s difficult terrain could delay the retrieval of her body.

 

Klára was the first Czech woman to summit both Mount Everest and K2 and was attempting to add Nanga Parbat to her list of 8,000-meter peaks. Known as the “Killer Mountain,” Nanga Parbat has a fatality rate of around 22% and is considered one of the most perilous climbs in the world.

 

The Alpine Club of Pakistan expressed its condolences, calling her loss a devastating blow to the global climbing community.