WARSAWWARSAW (Reuters) - After an exhausting night ascent, Polish climbers rescued French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol from the treacherous slopes of Pakistan's "Killer Mountain" but were unable to save her climbing companion, Poland's winter climbing team said.

Revol and Polish climber Tomasz Mackiewicz had called for help on Friday from about 7,400 meters up Pakistan's second-highest peak, the 8,126 meter (26,660 feet) Nanga Parbat.

A team of Polish climbers preparing for the first winter ascent of the nearby K2 mountain set off to rescue them.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ascending until the early hours of Sunday, they found Revol exhausted and suffering from frostbite, but an approaching snow storm prevented them from going higher for Tomasz.

"I salute the courage of the four Polish heroes ... My thoughts are with the family and relatives of Tomek," French ambassador to Poland Pierre Levy said on Twitter.

The rescue team were Russian climber Denis Urubko, who has dual Polish citizenship, together with Polish climbers Adam Bielecki, Jaroslaw Botor and Piotrek Tomala.

They were dropped off by helicopters at about 4,900 meters, from where the first two climbers began their ascent. Pakistani helicopters had spotted Revol at about 6,700 meters on Saturday.

"THANK YOU Denis & Adam - without you... I can't imagine," Revol's partner Ludovic Giambiasi said on Facebook, adding that Revol had been transported to a hospital in Islamabad.

A crowdfunding campaign raised nearly $140,000 to finance the rescue and support the wife and three children of Mackiewicz.

ADVERTISEMENT

Russian climber Denis Urubko, French climber Elisabeth Revol, and Polish climber Adam Bielecki pose for a picture at the base of the Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat, Pakistan January 28, 2018. Courtesy of Adam Bielecki fb.com/adambieleckiteam/Handout via Reuters Polish mountaineer Adam Bielecki gestures at the Roztoka mountain shelter as he prepares for the expedition to scale K2 in the winter in Tatra Mountains near Zakopane, Poland December 12, 2017. Picture taken December 12, 2017. Reuters/Kacper Pempel A helicopter leaves to rescue two climbers, on Nanga Parbat Himalayan Mountain, Pakistan January 27, 2018 in this still image obtained from social media video. Polski Himalaizm Zimowy via Reuters Polish climber Tomasz Mackiewicz during his trip on Nanga Parbat mountain in Pakistan January 2014. Picture taken January 2014. Forum/Michal Obrycki via Reuters Polish mountaineer Adam Bielecki smiles as he speaks before the departure of the Polish national team for the expedition to scale K2 in the winter, at an airport in Warsaw, Poland December 29, 2017. Picture taken on December 29, 2017. Reuters/Kacper Pempel Mountaineer Denis Urubko smiles as he speaks before the departure of the Polish national team for the expedition to scale K2 in the winter, at an airport in Warsaw, Poland December 29, 2017. Picture taken on December 29, 2017. Reuters/Kacper Pempel A helicopter leaves to rescue two climbers, on Nanga Parbat Himalayan Mountain, Pakistan January 27, 2018 in this still image obtained from social media video. Polski Himalaizm Zimowy via Reuters FILE PHOTO - Snow packed mountain of northern Pakistan is seen in this July 14 2004 file photo. Reuters/Faisal Mahmood

"The mountains were his own world and his fulfilment," said Mackiewicz's wife Anna Solska.

Pakistan rivals Nepal for the number of peaks higher than 7,000 meters. Nanga Parbat has become known as "Killer Mountain" moniker because of the high number of lives it has claimed.

In June a Spanish man and an Argentinian perished in an avalanche while trying to scale its peak. The first successful winter ascent of the mountain was made in February 2016.

($1 = 0.8047 euros)