French climber summits K2 in just 11 hours

French climber Benjamin Vedrines summited K2 peak in record time a day ago without the support of oxygen.

He reached the top of the world’s second-highest mountain in just under 11 hours.

Read more: Two Japanese climbers fell while trying to summit K2

Vedrines attempted the summit in 2022 but was forced to turn back after suffering from hypoxia, a lack of oxygen in the blood caused by thin air at high altitudes.

Vedrines is considered one of France’s pre-eminent climbers and set a speed record climbing Pakistan’s Broad Peak in 2022 before descending by paraglider.

On Saturday, two Japanese climbers had gone missing while attempting to scale K2. Army aviation helicopters had spotted the two during an aerial search operation but observed that the men had no movement.