Two Japanese climbers went missing on Saturday morning while attempting to summit K2 (8,611 metres), the world’s second highest mountain.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shigar Waliullah Farahi said: Dawn Japanese climbers Kazuya Hiraide and Takeo Nakajima fell from an altitude of 7,500 metres on the west side of K2.
He said a Pakistani army helicopter was conducting search operations in the area and two more military helicopters had flown from Skardu to search for climbers on the peak.
He said they found the fallen climbers below the 100-metre mark, but the men were observed not moving.
He said the helicopter was unable to land or hover at that altitude, adding that ground rescue teams were ready to extract the pair.
It was unclear whether the two were alive or dead, he said.
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, during a brief period of favourable weather, 12 Pakistani, one Russian and two Nepalese climbers successfully reached the summit of Broad Peak (8,051 metres).
Climbers aiming to summit K2 and Gasherbrum I reached a crucial stage just days before the end of the climbing season in the Karakoram range, aiming to summit on Sunday.
This year, over 2,000 local and international climbers are attempting to summit Gilgit-Baltistan’s mountains, including the Eight Thousands (mountains over 8,000 metres), K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Nanga Parbat.
According to the Karakoram Expedition led by renowned mountaineer Mirza Ali, nine members including Ahmed Baig, Arshad Karim, Rizwan Dad, Waqar Ali, Daulat Muhammad, Afreen Shah and Zaman Karim from Shimshal Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, Murad Ali from Balochistan and Iya Persina from Russia reached the summit of Broad Peak at 7.15 am today.
“We are happy to announce that the Karakoram Expeditions team has successfully summited Broad Peak and secured the ropes to the summit this morning! Braving waist-deep snow, our team worked tirelessly through the night in challenging conditions,” the company posted on its Facebook page.
The post added that the team left Camp 2 at 5:30 a.m. and Camp 3 at 11 a.m., “plowing through deep snow and navigating newly exposed crevasses.”
Mirza, whose sister is renowned mountaineer Samina Baig, expressed his pride, saying: “I am truly inspired by the team’s courage and tenacity. Their ability to wade through waist-deep snow and string fixed ropes all the way to the summit is the epitome of the mountaineering spirit.”
Another four-member expedition from Pakistan’s Broadboy Adventures team, led by Pakistan’s youngest climber to summit K2, Shehroz Kashif, successfully summited Broad Peak at 11:30 am and hoisted the green flag aloft.
Kashif said in a statement that although they had limited time for this challenging expedition, every effort was worth it.
Participants of the summit included Aamer Butt, a US resident, Anum Uzair from Lahore, Ali Akbar and Ali from Haush, UK.
“We are waiting and praying for their safe descent to base camp,” Kashif added.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s Sunu Sherpa set a new world record by summiting Summit Karakoram for the third time.
Summit Karakoram CEO Iqbal Kadri said. dawn Sunu was climbing in alpine style. Sunu has climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000 peaks twice.
“Sunu Sherpa is attempting to summit all 14 of the 8,000 peaks for the third time and is set to set a new world record,” he said.
He congratulated Sunu on successfully summiting Broad Peak: “Your determination, skill and perseverance have paid off and this achievement is a testament to your exceptional climbing ability. Congratulations!” he said.
Imagine Nepal Expedition member Pasang Namgyel Sherpa also conquered Broad Peak on Saturday morning.
A statement from organisers said: “Our esteemed senior mountaineering guide, Pasang Namgyal Sherpa, successfully summited Broad Peak this morning on Saturday.”
“We are incredibly proud of his extraordinary achievement and look forward to his future pursuits in high-altitude mountaineering. Heartfelt congratulations to Pasang Namgyal Sherpa on this historic victory!” the post concluded.
Climbers had been waiting at K2 base camp for a month for the weather to improve before attempting to reach the summit on Friday.
On Saturday, foreign and local climbers reached Camp 4. Mingma G, owner of Imagine Nepal and one of the climbers, said on Facebook that teams were working to secure ropes to allow the group to reach the peak.
“After weeks of strong winds we didn’t expect this much snow on K2 this time. I’m another Instagram Finger activist reporting from Camp 3,” Mingma wrote.
“Hopefully I can write here again tomorrow morning from the top of K2.”
