Brit mountaineer falls 2,300ft from Iraq's tallest mountain sparking epic rescue
A British mountaineer has been rescued after an eight-hour search mission following his fall from Mount Halgurd in Kurdistan.
David Joy, 55, was climbing the 3,600m mountain with a group of local and international hikers before he fell 700 metres (2,300ft) over rocks, ice and snow breaking both his legs, Rudaw reported.
Mount Halgurd, the highest peak in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, is visited by hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists and climbers every year.
According to the Soran Civil Defence directorate, this is the sixth incident involving visitors falling off the mountain in the past four years.
The British mountaineer allegedly broke both his legs (Rudaw English)
Mount Halgurd is the highest peak in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region (Rudaw English)“Under my supervision, we formed three rescue teams. They left for their mission at three different times. The mountaineer had broken his legs, suffering from critical pains because the area is blanketed with snow and the snow had become a piece of ice," Younis Qadir, director of Soran Civil Defense, told Rudaw.
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
An FCDO Spokesperson said: "We are assisting a British man who has been hospitalised in Iraq."
As per the FCDO’s Travel Advice for Iraq, the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Meanwhile, in June, an RAF mountaineer died in Pakistan after falling 3,300ft off one of the highest peaks on Earth, in the Himalayas.
Francois Cazzanelli saw RAF Wing Commander Gordon Henderson, from Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland, lose his balance and plunge about 3,300ft as he tried to reach the top of Broad Peak in the Karakoram mountains, on the border of Pakistan and China.
The mountain from which the Brit fell (Rudaw English)The dad-of-two, an extremely experienced climber, was taking part in the British Services Mountaineering Expedition to Broad Peak, which sits close to the Chinese border around five miles from K2 when he ran into difficulty.
Mr Cazzanelli, an Italian climber and mountain guide, was also attempting the ascent when he witnessed the tragedy on July 19.
Mr Cazzanelli said he gave a nod to the RAF officer, indicating that he could go first and just as he did, Henderson prepared to turn, and took one step "but his rucksack bashed against the rock face."
"He lost his balance and he was spun forward. He slid for just a moment, then he fell head first. He disappeared without even crying out. I was speechless, rooted to the spot,” Mr Cazzanelli, told La Stampa, an Italian newspaper, on Wednesday.
Mr Cazzanelli descended back down the mountain to reach base camp, where he informed Henderson’s colleagues of the accident.
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