Hasan Sadpara dies: Pakistan mourns loss of 'hero' climber to blood cancer

Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif has led tributes to renowned mountaineer Hasan Sadpara, who has died at the age of 42.

Mr Sadpara was the second Pakistani to summit five 8,000m (26,000ft) peaks in his home country, as well as Mount Everest, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.

He had been suffering from blood cancer and other serious conditions.

"Pakistan has lost its hero today," Mr Sharif said.

"Sadpara's endeavours of winning laurels for the country will always be remembered in golden words."

Warm tributes to Hasan Sadpara were paid by leading figures in Pakistan

Mr Sadpara leaves behind three sons and a daughter.

One of his sons, Arif, told the AFP news agency that his father died at around noon local time on 21 November, in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.

'His lungs had been destroyed'

Mr Sadpara's cousin, Esa Khan Sadpara, told the BBC the adventurer had been battling a range of conditions.

"We have been at the military hospital for 15 days. The doctors here discovered that his lungs had been destroyed by tuberculosis.

"They tried to bring the condition of his lungs and the liver under a bit of control before they could start the procedures for blood cancer, but Hasan did not last," he said.

"Hasan had suffered a severe bout of pneumonia four years ago, shortly after he climbed the Everest. Probably that started the rot in his body."

Esa Khan Sadpara said the chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, Shahbaz Sharif, had sent the family a cheque for 2.5 million rupees ($23,877; £19,147).

"We are also thankful to all the doctors who looked after us well and did everything they could save him," he said.

The mountaineer's family said he was 42, according to his national ID. Other reports have claimed he was some years older.

PM Nawaz Sharif's party, the PML(N), tweeted pictures of the great mountaineer

Politicians and the public shared their sorrow at the loss of the brave climber on social media.

Pakistan's former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi wrote on Twitter: "Deeply saddened by the death of legendary mountaineer Hassan Sadpara. His legacy will remain with us forever. May Allah bless his soul."

"Rest in peace Hassan Sadpara. You will remain as an icon of courage of the people of #GilgitBaltistan and as a man of excellence," ‏wrote Twitter user @Rahimdadkhan.

From mountaineer to tour operator

Mr Sadpara came from a small village near the town of Skardu in Pakistan's mountainous north.

He began his mountaineering career in 1999 when he conquered Nanga Parbat, also known as the "Killer Mountain". By 2007 he had climbed all five of Pakistan's eight-thousanders.