PESHAWAR: A group of Pakistani volunteers found the body of a Japanese climber who died while trying to descend from one of the highest mountains in the country, officials said Tuesday.
The body of 64-year-old Hiroshi Onishi was brought down the previous day from the 7,027-meter (23,054 feet) Spantik Peak — also known as Golden Peak — where he died, a local police chief Mohammad Hanif told The Associated Press by phone.
He was the third Japanese climber to die in Pakistan in less than a month.
Onishi was coming down from the mountain with other Japanese climbers after successfully reaching the summit when he slipped and fell into a crevasse and died, police said.
The body of Onishi was being sent to Islamabad by an ambulance, according to Javed Ali Munwa, a local official told the AP. His family is expected to reach Pakistan later this week.
A six-member team of volunteers led by a Pakistani mountaineer Abbas Ali undertook the risky mission to retrieve the body after bad weather prevented helicopters from flying to the Spantik, Munwa said. He added that it took 6 days of arduous work to find and bring the body down.
Hiroshi’s death came after two other Japanese climbers, Atsushi Taguchi and Ryuseki Hiraoka, died while trying to scale the same mountain. They went missing on June 13, and Hiraoka’s body was found two days later after that incident.
His colleague was presumed dead after an unsuccessful weeklong search. Both had fallen into a deep crevasse.
Golden Peak is known for its distinct golden hue at sunrise and sunset, making it a popular destination for mountaineers.
Every year, hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan, including K2 and Nanga Parbat, and several die.
Body of missing Japanese climber retrieved from mountain in northern Pakistan
https://arab.news/w3hk4
Body of missing Japanese climber retrieved from mountain in northern Pakistan
- Hiroshi Onishi, 64, died after falling into a crevasse while descending the 7,027-meter Golden Peak
- Six volunteers retrieved his body after bad weather prevented helicopters from flying over the peak
Saudi Arabia condemns separatist attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan
- Kingdom says it stands with Pakistan as security forces kill 92 militants in counteroffensive
- Attacks hit multiple districts including Quetta and Gwadar, killing civilians and security personnel
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Saturday condemned separatist attacks in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, expressing solidarity with Islamabad after a wave of coordinated violence killed civilians and security personnel across multiple districts.
In a statement cited by the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, the Kingdom said it rejected violence in all its forms and stood with Pakistan as its security forces responded to the attacks.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemns the attacks carried out by separatist elements in various areas of Pakistan’s Balochistan province,” he said in a social media message. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia renews its firm position rejecting all acts of terrorism and extremism.”
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday its forces killed 92 militants, including three suicide bombers, while repelling coordinated attacks across the southwestern province, following assaults that targeted civilians and law enforcement personnel in several towns, including Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Kharan.
The military said 18 civilians, including women and children, were killed in attacks on laborer families in Gwadar and Kharan, while 15 security personnel died during clearance operations and armed standoffs.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also conveyed condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, reaffirming its support for Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard stability and security.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has faced a decades-long separatist insurgency marked by attacks on security forces, infrastructure projects and civilians, as Pakistan steps up counter-militancy operations in the region.
