Congestion at K2 summit as climbers queue to reach the peak

Climbers hoping to reach the top of the world's second highest mountain, and one of its deadliest, have been warned of overcrowding at the summit.

It comes after Mingma Gyabu, a record-breaking mountaineer and rescue climber videoed queues of climbers snaking up the mountain.

Dozens of mountaineers tailed-back on a section of ice known as the Bottleneck.

Although the stretch is deemed one of the easiest and fastest routes to the summit, it has claimed 13 out of the last 14 fatalities on K2.

The peak has a reputation of being dangerous, one in every four people who have attempted to climb it have died along the way.

One British climber who managed to reach the summit the same week, said the dry conditions meant those on the mountain were playing "Russian roulette" with falling rocks.

Speaking to the Times, British mountaineer Adriana Brownlee said the mountain should not be seen as a "tourist attraction". She avoided the busiest day on K2 as she was climbing two other peaks.

The 21-year-old, who is believed to be the youngest woman ever to reach the summit said: "It’s a bloody hard mountain and shouldn’t be seen as a ‘tourist attraction’.

“It’s tough in Pakistan as the mountains are in a whole different league to those climbed in Nepal. Firstly, everyone has to survive by themselves, there is no helicopter rescue or safety nets."

She added: “The mountains are so dry this year, due to climate change, [with] so much rockfall that you were pretty much playing Russian roulette with rocks.”

Having climbed ten of the world's 8,000 metre mountains, she is now seeking to complete all 14.