Richard Cartier, a doctor from Quebec, tragically lost his life in Pakistan during an expedition on K2, the world's second--highest peak. The Australian climber Matthew Eakin was also found dead.
Their expedition was being documented on Facebook by another mountaineer from Quebec, Justin Dubé-Fahmy, with a final post on Thursday, July 21.
The entry explained how the trio was feeling exhausted after reaching Camp 4, at 7,600 metres. They were going back to base camp the following day when Cartier & Eakin went missing. Both their bodies were found below camp one, in different locations.
Cartier's family confirmed his death on Facebook. Justin Dubé-Fahmy is safe and sound.
Escalade Quebec, a website for the Quebec mountaineering community, describes Cartier as a 61-year-old man highly regarded in the Quebec climbers' community, and an experienced mountaineer who was "doing his own thing, far from the media and social networks."
"He has planted his crampons on several mountain ranges around the globe. Apart from his passion for mountaineering, he was a recognized family doctor and worked in palliative care. He left behind his mourning wife and two adult children," they wrote on the website.
"I would like to direct my thoughts to Justin Dubé-Fahmy who, far from his family, must deal with the death of two companions in addition to having to face the difficult journey back home," they added.
The tragic deaths occurred only a few days after the success of Marie-Pier Desharnais. On July 22, she became the first Quebecer to set foot on top of K2, at 8,611 metres above sea level. (Her Instagram post below was of course shared without knowing about the events that had occurred.)
