McDonnell family to meet K2 survivors

CLOSE RELATIVES of Irish mountaineer Gerard McDonnell are due to fly to Pakistan at the weekend to speak to survivors of the accidents on K2, the world's second-highest mountain.

One of the survivors, US mountaineer Nick Rice, stated on his website yesterday that McDonnell had refused to descend after the fatal ice fall below the summit as he was "helping others that were injured".

In Anchorage, Alaska, a gathering of fellow climbers and musicians was held in honour of the 37-year-old Limerick engineer.

McDonnell was confirmed dead among a list of 11 climbers of various nationalities issued by the Pakistan tourism ministry two days ago. At least half of the group are believed to have been caught by the fall at a steep and exposed gully known as the "Bottleneck" above 8,200m.

McDonnell's brother, JJ and partner, along with McDonnell's partner from Alaska, Annie Starky, hope to speak to Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, who had reached the summit of K2 with McDonnell on August 1st and managed to descend to base camp after the ice fall.

They also hope to meet the two Dutch survivors, Norit K2 expedition leader Wilco van Rooijen and Cas van de Gevel, who were also in the summit party and who were airlifted to hospital early this week suffering from frostbite.

Another Norit K2 survivor, Italian Marco Confortola, was receiving medical assistance at base camp yesterday, as weather conditions precluded a helicopter rescue attempt.

Cork-based adventurer Pat Falvey intends to travel with the family to Islamabad, having already offered to act as liaison between the McDonnell family, the expeditions and Pakistani authorities.

The Norit K2 expedition issued a statement yesterday expressing sympathy to McDonnell's family, and criticising early press coverage of the events on K2. Its leader Mr van Rooijen had been interviewed in hospital in Skardu.

However, the expedition statement said that while it understood that there was a need for more information, it said that the interview was "done immediately upon arrival in hospital and both climbers were caught totally off guard and were clearly exhausted and disoriented".

The expedition intends to hold a press conference after its own debriefing in the Netherlands. Several members of the Dutch-led team are still at base camp on K2, along with a number of other expeditions - some of whom are reported to be considering another summit attempt.

In Alaska, where McDonnell had been working as an engineer with the oil and gas industry, close friends paid tribute to him. Musicians and climbers who knew him had gathered in Anchorage on Monday to celebrate his life.

Mark Ward, fiddler player in a band named Last Night's Fun, in which McDonnell played bodhrán, said the Limerick man had been self-effacing about his many mountaineering achievements - including reaching the summit of Mount Everest with Cork climber Mick Murphy in 2003.

"He was a great singer, as well as playing bodhrán and whistle, and had an incredible knack for pulling songs out of thin air," said Mr Ward.

Daniel Possumato, a former member of the band, said the expedition cook at K2 had taken seriously ill with suspected kidney stones, and did not have insurance. McDonnell had remembered that Mr Possumato, formerly in the US military, had a contact in the Pakistani army who might be able to help with a helicopter lift.

"This was classic Ger, trying to get help from halfway around the world for a gravely-ill Pakistani man whom he had only recently befriended. Human beings don't come any better than Gerard McDonnell," Mr Possumato told The Irish Times last night.

A memorial Mass for McDonnell is due to be held in Kilcornan community hall, Co Limerick, on August 17th and a book of condolences has been opened on Pat Falvey's website at: www.patfalvey.com.