Klára Kolouchová, the first Czech woman to reach the summits of Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga, has died during an expedition on Nanga Parbat, Pakistan’s ninth-highest mountain. She was 46.

Initial reports from local media in Pakistan offered conflicting explanations. Some early accounts suggested an oxygen tank explosion, while a more recent article in The Pamir Times stated that Kolouchová fell between Camp 1 and Camp 2 at around 4 a.m. on Thursday.

“Her teammates later confirmed her death after returning to Base Camp, though her body remains at the site of the fall,” said Nizamuddin, Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Diamir district, in a statement to The Pamir Times.

Kolouchová was accompanied on the expedition by her husband and five other climbers. They arrived at Nanga Parbat’s Base Camp on June 17. It remains unclear whether they were operating as an independent team or as part of a larger group.

Climbers on Nanga Parbat this season have described challenging conditions, including unusually high temperatures, bare ice, and frequent rockfalls. The snowline begins only after Camp 3, forcing climbers to navigate steep rock faces and ice sections using the front points of their crampons.

The Pakistan Alpine Club has confirmed her death. An army helicopter is expected to fly to the mountain on Friday to assist in locating and recovering her body.

In addition to Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga, Kolouchová had also summited Cho Oyu and, earlier this year, Annapurna — all part of the world’s 14 mountains over 8,000 metres.

This past spring, she attempted Dhaulagiri, another peak in that elite group.

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more