(supersedes previous).
(ANSA) - Venice, November 20 - An Italian mountaineer who
conquered K2 in 1954 died on Friday, six months after the
companion who stepped onto the world's second-highest peak for
the first time with him.
Lino Lacedelli, who would have turned 84 on December 4, had
a heart operation in the summer from which he never recovered,
his family said.
His medical condition prevented him from attending the
funeral of Achille Compagnoni, his fellow K2 hero, who died on
May 13 aged 94.
The pair kept to their graves the secret of who actually
stepped onto the top of K2 first.