KHAPULU – Two top Japanese climbers fell from Pakistan’s K2, authorities said on July 28. Rescuers in a helicopter found them motionless but were forced to turn back.
Veteran climbers Kazuya Hiraide and Takeo Nakajima were attempting to summit the steep west face of the world’s second highest mountain, using a seasoned climbing style that prioritizes speed and minimal reliance on fixed ropes.
But on July 27, “they fell from a height of 7,500 metres,” Khalar Haidri, secretary general of the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), said in a statement.
“A helicopter rescue was attempted but the chopper was unable to land,” said Wali Ullah Farahi, deputy commissioner of Shigar district, which includes K2, at 8,611 metres (28,000 feet).
“After a closer search, the bodies of the two climbers were found and confirmed to be not moving. The helicopter then turned back,” he told AFP.
So far, no organization has confirmed that the two people were killed.
The pair’s sponsor, Japanese outdoor gear brand Ishii Sports, said the helicopter was forced to abort the landing due to the high altitude and steep slope.
“The pilot said he could see two people but their condition was unclear,” the company said in a statement. “We are currently evaluating rescue options.”
On K2, rescue operations are extremely dangerous, even on the southeast ridge, the most common route climbers take to the summit.
The western face is more vertical and has more exposed rock, and has only been successfully climbed once before, by a Russian team in 2007.
The ACP said both Hiraide and Nakajima are multiple recipients of the Piolet d’Or award, described as “the Oscar of climbing”, for achievements in sportsmanship.
“They stressed that they had meticulously planned and trained for their K2 expedition and were committed to pushing the boundaries of high-altitude mountaineering,” the ACP said.
Three more Japanese climbers have died in Pakistan this summer climbing season, all on the 7,027-metre (23,000-foot) Spantikh mountain in Gilgit-Baltistan province.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains over 8,000 metres, including K2, nicknamed the “Barbarian Mountain” because it is considered harder to climb than Everest. AFP
