New Delhi: An Indian mountaineer, who got trapped on Mount Denali in North America’s Alaska, has been rescued.
Shaikh Hasan Khan, who hails from Kerala, is currently at the base camp and doing fine, Congress MP Anto Antony confirmed.
Khan, a Government Secretariat employee and an experienced climber, was attempting to hoist the Indian Tricolour atop North America’s highest peak as a tribute to the Indian Armed forces for successfully conducting Operation Sindoor.
Having begun his journey from Chennai on June 4, Khan reached the US on June 6, commencing their climb on June 10.
He had reached Camp 5 of the mountain, at an altitude of 17,000 feet, when a severe storm halted him.
Left with limited food and water, and struggling to descend in extreme weather conditions, Khan sent out distress messages seeking urgent rescue.
“Hi, this is Shaikh. I am on an expedition to Mount Denali, the highest peak of North America. We are stuck in a severe storm at 17,000 ft at Camp 5. Less food and water to survive. I am here on a mission to hold a banner to congratulate our armed forces for Operation Sindoor. Only God can help us,” Khan said in a message sent via satellite phone on June 10.
He also posted a video on Instagram from Talkateena, Alaska, showing a Climber’s Memorial at a cemetery for mountaineers who lost their lives at Denali, also known as Mount McKinley.
A flurry of diplomatic and political efforts followed, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate intervention and urging the Indian Embassy in the United States to act swiftly.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, who called Khan a “heroic young explorer” in a post on X, wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, attaching the mountaineer’s passport and satellite contact information to expedite coordination with US authorities.
“This young Indian, whose pursuits have brought quiet distinction to our country, now finds himself in a precarious and life-threatening situation,” Tharoor wrote.
Accompanied by a climber from Tamil Nadu, Khan has scaled several peaks across continents, including Mount Everest in 2022.
