Mountaineer feared dead, three injured after glacier collapse at Kalam Valley's Matiltan Peak

A group of seven mountaineers was caught in a glacier collapse near Matiltan Peak in Kalam Valley, Upper Swat, on Saturday, leaving one climber feared dead and three others injured, rescue officials said.

Rescue 1122 Swat spokesperson Niaz Khan told Nukta that three of the seven were rescued safely, three were taken to the hospital, and one remains unaccounted for.

What happened in the Kalam Valley glacier collapse?

The glacier collapsed as the group descended Falak Sar Peak at an altitude of about 5,600 metres on July 11, snapping the climbing rope and leaving local guide Saeed Ali Shah, from Khwazakhela, missing and feared dead.

Three climbers from Rawalpindi, identified as Hawar Hussain, 40, Haris, 22, and Haroon, 27, sustained injuries and were taken to Saidu Teaching Hospital. The other three members of the group, all from Swat, were rescued safely.

Missing climber Saeed Ali Shah.Rescue 1122

The expedition members said the incident could not be reported immediately due to the absence of any communication network in the area. They said the injured were evacuated with great difficulty but believe Saeed Ali Shah, who is missing and feared dead, remains at the accident site because the terrain was too hazardous to reach.

Expedition member Muhammad Haroon said the three climbers from Rawalpindi arrived in Kalam on July 3 and began their ascent on July 4, accompanied by four local guides.

Why is helicopter support needed for the Swat glacier rescue?

Upper Swat Deputy Commissioner Sohail Khan said the accident site is inaccessible to conventional ground rescue teams and that recovering the body would not be possible without helicopter support. The district administration formally requested helicopter assistance from authorities to carry out the recovery operation. Rescue officials said search efforts for the missing mountaineer are ongoing, complicated by the rugged terrain limiting where teams can move and operate.

The Matiltan Peak area, which rises to approximately 9,957 meters, sits in one of Pakistan's most remote and challenging mountain environments. A separate glacier collapse near Swat's Mahodand Lake just two days earlier had already killed one tourist, underscoring the growing hazard posed by glacier instability in the region. Rescue officials have urged mountaineers and tourists to exercise caution in glacier-prone areas, particularly during the summer months when melt activity intensifies.