DIRAN ITALIAN TRAGEDY
ITALIAN LEADER NICOLO AND MEMBER MEET A TRAGIC END
AUGUST4-2000
By
Asem Mustafa Awan
ISLAMABAD
— Italian expedition met a tragic accident on Diran Peak 7266 metres
when two of the climbers were swept away in an avalanche during the final
summit bid a couple of days ago.
Thirty
year old Nicolo Berzi a professional mountain guide was leading the
expedition and all the climbers were visiting Pakistan for the first time.
Of
the two climbers one climber 32 year old Omar Vecchio was found and his
body has already been sent to the capital. The second climber 41 year old
Domenico Palandri is still missing.
However
according to a report reaching from Hunza a body was found in the upper
Hunza river and is buried temporarily as it couldn't be identified.
The
team was on a project and
that was '5 years for an 8000er'.
The
expedition started the project in 1998 from India where they climbed
Kanghiatse (6400 metres) followed it with Huascaran (6800 metres) in Peru
in 1999, Diran was the third one in the project.
The
expedition attempted the peak from the Normal Route, the North Face and
then the West Ridge from the Col at 6400 metres.
The
expedition represented Societa Escursionisti Milanesi section of the
Italian Alpine Club.
The
hardest part of the peak was
the North Face itself there is a possibility that a serac broke down and swept the climbers.
The
seracs are broken and finding the route on the peak is a big problem. The
group was also planning for the third Italian ascent of Diran as it was
first climbed by Italians in 1985 and 1992.
Further
details could not be obtained due to bad telephone lines.
The
climbers are on their way back to capital and the survivors are Alessandra
Bassini (38), Alberta Chiappa (29), Enrico Galletti (41), Fabrizio Cocchi
(29), Valeria Alliata (39), Giovanna Canton (41) and Renato Squassoni
(33).
ENDS
CAPTION:
Italian Diran Peak expedition. —Photo by the writer