Red rivalry on Mt Manaslu: Chinese climber injured in crampon attack

KATHMANDU: A Chinese climber was injured after a fellow climber reportedly attacked him with crampons at Camp II on Mt Manaslu.

According to eyewitnesses, the fight broke out between two Chinese climbers on Wednesday following a heated debate over their previous businesses in China. “A group of Chinese climbers were seen yelling at each other and one of them attacked Peng Tao, with crampons,” an eyewitness described the scene adding that he, however, failed to understand what they talked about in Chinese language.

Tao, who suffered sharp injuries to his chest, was airlifted to Kathmandu yesterday, Mingma Sherpa, Managing Director at Seven Summit Treks, said. The injured climber is undergoing treatment at Norvic International Hospital, he added.

The climber, who attacked Tao, immediately fled the scene, according to base camp officials. The climbers who earlier worked for the same company in China recently started their separate businesses, they said, referring to a possible cause that might have led them to flex their muscles at the high camp.

The incident report was separately filed at Tourist Police in Kathmandu and Samagaun Police in Gorkha. Both climbers were members of different expeditions, Sherpa said.

Expedition organisers said that over 200 foreign climbers along with their support staff were waiting for a fair window to make the final summit pushes on Mt Manaslu. “If weather permits, we would try to scale the peak on September 26/27,” a team leader told THT from the base camp.