Gilgit, Baltistan,

Pakistani mountaineer Muhammad Ali Sadpara confirmed on Friday that Bulgarian climber Atanas Skatov has fallen and died, news outlets reported.

Atanas Skatov was part of the Sadpara team trying to summit the peak in tough winter conditions. Earlier, Ali Saltoro of Alpine Adventure Guides in Pakistan reported that Atanas Skatov has fallen while descending from Camp 3 when a fixed rope snapped.

According to Bulgarian media, a rescue helicopter has been requested. Atanas Skatov, from Bulgaria, was climbing with Dendi Sherpa. They climbed from Base Camp to Camp 2 on Wednesday and moved to Camp 3 yesterday.

After two weeks of wind and storms, state of the fixed ropes has been a concern among climbers. Colin O’Brady reported that some sections of the rope below Camp 3 had been buried by snow and that climbers (on their way up) had proceeded without clipping to them. In addition, there are plenty of dangerous old ropes along the Abruzzi Spur route.

As for the summit group, John Snorri’s wife, Lina Moey, said that there has been no connection since he left Camp 3 roughly 12 hours ago. However, this isn’t unexpected. “His plan was to call me when he reached the summit and I am hoping that plan will stick,” she said.

This post was originally published on VOSA.