ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The last survivor of the deadliest mountaineering disaster to hit K2 limped into base camp with frostbitten feet Tuesday, but thick clouds threatened to keep him on the mountain for at least another night.
“Now I really realize that everyone here has died,” said Italian climber Marco Confortola, 37, who was stranded on the world’s second-highest peak after an avalanche of falling ice blocked climbers descending from the summit nearly four days ago.
As many as 30 mountaineers began their ascent of K2 on Friday. Eleven died in the avalanche that swept some climbers away and left others stranded in frigid conditions just below the 28,250-foot summit: three South Koreans, two Nepalis, two Pakistanis and mountaineers from France, Ireland, Serbia and Norway.
“I am happy to be alive,” Confortola said in a phone call from K2’s advanced base camp at about 17,000 feet.
Confortola said the expedition was undermined by inexperience and low-quality equipment, including ropes and spikes that easily broke.
As Confortola waited for thick clouds to clear so a Pakistani army helicopter could fly him off the mountain — today, weather permitting — government officials in Islamabad promised to investigate the tragedy.
