KHAPLU, Pakistan: Two elite Japanese mountain climbers fell from Pakistan’s K2, officials said Sunday following an attempt at a helicopter rescue that spotted the motionless pair but was forced to turn back.
Veteran mountaineers Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima were attempting an ascent of the jagged western face of the world’s second highest mountain, using an expert climbing style prioritising speed and relying on minimal fixed ropes.
But on Saturday “they fell from a height of 7,500 meters (24,600 feet),” Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) Secretary Karrar Haidri said in a statement.
“A helicopter rescue was attempted, however the heli could not land,” said Wali Ullah Falahi, the deputy commissioner for Shigar district, which encompasses the 8,611-meter K2.
“Upon close inspection, the bodies of the two climbers were spotted, and it was determined that there was no movement. The heli then turned back,” he told AFP.
No organization, as yet, has confirmed the pair are dead.
Ishii Sports — a Japanese outdoor goods brand sponsoring the pair — said the high altitude and steep slope forced the helicopter to abort its landing.
“The pilot said the two men can be seen, but their status was unclear,” the firm said in a statement. “We are currently reviewing how we will rescue them.”
Rescue attempts are extremely risky on K2, even on the southeastern ridge, which is the most common route climbers take to the top.
The western face is a more vertical and exposed rock face, and has only been successfully scaled once before by a Russian team in 2007.
The ACP said Hiraide and Nakajima had both won multiple Piolets d’Or awards — described as “the Oscars of climbing” — for their feats of sportsmanship.
They “meticulously planned and trained for their K2 expedition, underscoring their dedication to pushing the boundaries of high-altitude mountaineering,” the ACP said.
During this summer climbing season three other Japanese climbers have died in Pakistan — all on the 7,027-meter Spantik mountain, which is also in the Gilgit Baltistan region.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains above 8,000 meters, including K2 which is considered a more difficult ascent than Everest, earning it the nickname “Savage Mountain.”
Two Japanese climbers fall from Pakistan’s K2
https://arab.news/wgxpn
Two Japanese climbers fall from Pakistan’s K2
- Japanese mountaineers were attempting to summit K2 relying on minimal fixed ropes
- On Saturday, they fell from a height of 7,500 meters, says Alpine Club of Pakistan
Pakistan warns climate shocks threaten food security, urges water resilience at Berlin forum
- Government cites floods, droughts and heat as major hits to farm output and rural livelihoods
- Pakistan also raises concern over India’s decision to unilaterally suspend Indus Waters Treaty
KARACHI: Pakistan’s food security is under growing threat from increasingly frequent floods, droughts and extreme heat, which have sharply affected agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods, a senior minister said while addressing an international conference on Saturday, emphasizing the need to strengthen water resilience in a climate-stressed region.
Speaking at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2026 in Berlin, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said climate-induced shocks had exposed the vulnerability of Pakistan’s agriculture, which relies heavily on the Indus Basin for food production and employment.
“Climate-induced shocks have severely affected agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods and national food security,” Hussain said, adding that recent floods and prolonged dry spells had reinforced the urgency of shifting toward water resilience.
Pakistan’s food system depends on the Indus river system, which supports agriculture, industry and ecosystems for more than 240 million people. Hussain said water security was fundamental to food security and stressed that cooperation over shared water resources was essential for regional stability.
Addressing transboundary water challenges, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to international water law and described the Indus Waters Treaty as a cornerstone of regional water stability. He expressed concern over India’s April 2025 announcement to unilaterally hold the treaty “in abeyance,” calling the Indus river system a lifeline for Pakistan and urging the international community to support the treaty’s full implementation.
On domestic policy, Hussain said Pakistan was pursuing reforms to improve water productivity through high-efficiency irrigation, climate-smart farming practices and drought- and heat-tolerant seed varieties, alongside ecosystem-based measures such as watershed rehabilitation and groundwater recharge.
He said Pakistan remained ready to work with international partners to advance climate-smart agriculture and inclusive food systems, aiming to transform water from a source of risk into a foundation for sustainable development and peace.
