Pakistan search for missing Japanese climbers called off after body recovered

ISLAMABAD: A search operation in northern Pakistan to locate a Japanese climber, who went missing along with another one, has been called off after one body was recovered, the Pakistan Adventure Tour company said on Tuesday.
The climbers, Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi, went missing on June 10 while climbing Spantik Peak, which stands at 7,027 meters above the sea level.
On June 15, the civil administration of the Gilgit-Baltistan region in northern Pakistan confirmed one body had been found.
The search for the second climber continued with the help of a team, including two Pakistan Army helicopters, crewed by high-altitude climbers and experts.
“We tried our best and continued search for the second body but we could not see it because a lot of snow had fallen there and there were lots of crevasses there,” said local climber and member of search team, Imtiaz Sadpara, at a news conference at Deputy Commissioner’s office in Shigar.
Spantik, more popularly called the Golden Peak, is largely viewed as more accessible and straightforward. The Japanese climbers were attempting to summit it in the Karakoram Range.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s tallest mountains that loom above 8,000 meters, including K2 and Nanga Parbat that are known for their treacherous climbs.
Last Sunday, Pakistan’s army rescued Estonian climber Saama Marie who injured her leg whilst attempting to climb the Nanga Parbat peak in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Marie last updated followers on her Facebook account on June 9 that she had camped on the slope of Ganalo at an altitude of 4,900 meters. There had been no update from her since then.
In a video shared by Pakistani state broadcaster PTV, two men were seen carrying an injured Marie to a Pakistani army helicopter from the snowcapped mountain.
“I have a leg injury and I have currently escaped by [the help of] Pakistan Army helicopter, taken from Nanga Parbat base camp to Skardu hospital,” she said.
Pakistan’s mountains attract climbers from all parts of the world. According to official figures, over 8,900 foreigners visited the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2023 where the summer climbing season runs from early June till late August.
— With input from Reuters