A famend Norwegian mountaineer has denied claims her group stepped over a dying helper whereas climbing K2 - one of many tallest peaks on the planet - as a part of a world report bid.
Kristin Harila, 37, final month turned the quickest climber to scale all of the world's 14 highest mountains - finishing the achievement in simply 92 days.
Her closing climb was of K2 on 27 July, after which she returned with fellow record-breaker, Nepali mountaineer Tenjen (Lama) Sherpa, to Kathmandu to a hero's welcome.
But through the K2 climb, an area helper who was a part of a group forward of them, slipped a couple of metres from a slender ledge, turned tangled in ropes and later died on the mountain.
Video has emerged displaying climbers showing to step over the excessive porter, named as 27-year-old father-of-three Muhammad Hassan.
Two males, who have been climbing K2 on the identical day, have since criticised the group, and claimed Mr Hassan was handled like a "second-class human being" by different climbers.
However, Ms Harila has now responded, hitting out on the "misinformation" and "hatred" geared toward her.
In a submit on Instagram, wherein she claimed she had obtained demise threats, she additionally stated her group had stopped to assist Mr Hassan earlier than persevering with their climb.
"I am angry at how many people have been blaming others for this tragic accident," she wrote.
"This was no one's fault, you cannot comment when you do not understand the situation, and sending death threats is never okay.
"This occurred on the most harmful a part of the deadliest mountain on this planet, and it's best to keep in mind that at 8000+ metres, your survival instincts impression the choice you make."
She said the incident happened at a "harmful bottleneck" in the mountain, consisting of a narrow path with overhanging snow and ice.
"I didn't see precisely what befell, however all of the sudden Hassan had fallen and was hanging on the rope between two ice anchors," she said.
"At first, no person moved, most likely out of shock and concern, then we realised he was hanging the wrong way up and was not capable of climb up by himself."
Ms Harila said she and her team spent around 90 minutes attempting to pull Mr Hassan up - until an avalanche took place nearby and Sherpas behind them decided to head back down the mountain for help.
"We determined to proceed ahead, as too many individuals within the bottleneck would make it extra harmful for a rescue."
She said her cameraman stayed behind in the bottleneck for almost two-and-a-half hours as he attempted to help Mr Hassan "whereas individuals have been passing by".
"I don't think people understood the gravity of what was happening with Hassan as they were climbing, and that is why we see they are stepping over him to reach safety on the other side," she stated.
Ms Harila and her group later reached the summit of K2, the place she filmed an "emotional" video celebrating their record-breaking climb.
She stated she solely found Mr Hassan had died as she climbed down the mountain, and that she and her group have been unable to get well his physique as a result of it was "impossible to safely carry him down".
"It is truly tragic what happened, and I feel very strongly for the family. If anything, I hope we can learn something from this tragedy," she added.
Following the incident, German cameraman Philip Flamig shared footage which confirmed climbers showing to stroll over Mr Hassan's physique as a substitute of making an attempt to rescue him.
Mr Flamig, who had despatched drones as much as movie individuals climbing up K2 on the day, claimed he noticed round 50 individuals stroll over Mr Hassan.
He advised Austria's Standard newspaper: "[In the footage] he is being treated by one person while everyone else continues towards the summit.
"The fact is that no organised rescue operation took place, although there were Sherpas and mountain guides on site who could have taken action."
Austrian mountaineer Wilhelm Steindl, who was on the mountain that day however turned again due to the "dangerous conditions", added: "Such a thing would be unthinkable in the Alps.
"He was handled like a second-class human being. If he had been a Westerner, he would have been rescued instantly.
"No one felt responsible for him. What happened there is a disgrace. A living human was left lying so that records could be set."
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Mr Steindl has since visited Mr Hassan's household and has arrange a GoFundMe web page hoping to lift as much as €100,000 (£86,500) to help them.
"He was 27 years old and had a family with three young children," he stated.
"When we found out about the family, we personally went to the mountain village to support the family.
"The mom is determined as a result of she has no monetary means. In these distant villages, girls aren't educated and can't earn cash within the strictly Muslim nation."
K2 is broadly thought to be the one of many hardest peaks in mountaineering - with 2018 figures displaying that over a fifth of tried ascents finish in demise.
Experts say K2 - the world's second-tallest mountain above sea stage - is much more harmful than Everest - the tallest - as a result of much less of the mountain flattens off, and it's susceptible to avalanches and rock falls.
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