Prime Minister Robert Fico and Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák informed the media on Wednesday, June 26, that two of the victims shot during a terrorist attack on mountaineers in Pakistan were Slovaks.
They also released the name: Anton Dobeš and Peter Šperka, the TASR newswire wrote. Lajčák explained that his ministry had contradictory information until the very last moment, as still on Tuesday, Pakistani representatives were claiming that no Slovaks were among the murdered climbers. Fico added that the Slovak government is ready to offer help and cooperation in bringing the bodies of the Slovaks home for burial, adding that they were still awaiting more information from the Pakistani side. Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák expressed his condolences and added that Dobeš was a volunteer mountain rescuer and Šperka was a professional member of the Mountain rescue Service. Fico said that the government was considering announcing an official state mourning for them.
Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on the Nanga Parbat base camp on June 22-23 that took the lives of ten foreign mountain climbers and their Pakistani guide. Meanwhile, the Pakistani police have arrested around 20 people in connection with the attack. In the aftermath of the killing spree, the local authorities evacuated at least 45 foreigners that were planning to climb the mountain. The government in Islamabad has put a temporary ban on all Nanga Parbat expeditions.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
