During a rescue operation on Saturday, the body of one of the two Japanese climbers who had gone missing was discovered at Spantik peak in Shigar Valley. The search continues for the second climber.
Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi, climbing without porters in Alpine style, had reached camp 2 at an altitude of 5,300 meters between Shigar and Nagar districts of Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday. However, when another Japanese expedition team of seven members arrived at the camp the following day, the climbers were not there.
Following this, the expedition was halted, and the team returned to base camp to report the situation to officials.
Shigar Deputy Commissioner Waliullah Falahi confirmed today to Dawn.com that one of the climbers had been found deceased. He stated, “The nine-member rescue team recovered one climber and secured the body. They are now searching for the other climber.”
Naiknaam Karim from Adventure Tours Pakistan also confirmed the recovery of the body and ongoing efforts to locate the second climber.
As of now, the identity of the recovered climber has not been disclosed.
DC Falahi further informed that a team of nine high-altitude climbers, including four Japanese nationals, began the ground rescue operation on Friday morning. By Friday evening, they had reached camp 2 at 5,300 meters and remained stationed there overnight.
On Saturday morning, the rescue team descended a 300-meter crevice in their efforts. Earlier in the week, Pakistan Army helicopters had spotted the climbers and identified a potential location for their search efforts.
“The body was found approximately 300 meters below camp 3,” added the spokesperson for the Shigar DC’s office. “Rescue teams are fully committed to supporting the operation and ensuring a swift and safe resolution.”
The Japanese Embassy in Islamabad and the consulate in Karachi have been kept informed of developments, with Pakistani authorities closely coordinating to facilitate a successful outcome to the search operation.
Local mountain guide Karim Shah Nizari had previously expressed concerns over the climbers’ chances of survival given the challenging conditions, including recent snowfall and unstable slopes typical of the Spantik peak area.
“Our thoughts are with the climbers and their families during this difficult time,” Nizari remarked, noting the perilous nature of the situation faced by mountaineers in such environments.
