1 of 2 Japanese climbers missing in Pakistan found dead
- Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi were attempting to climb the Spantik mountain in the Karakoram Range without porters’ help before they went missing this week
One of two Japanese climbers was found dead and his body recovered from a mountain in northern Pakistan on Saturday, with a search ongoing for the second man, an official said.
Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi were attempting to summit the 7,027-metre (23,054-foot) Spantik mountain in the Karakoram Range before they went missing this week.
“The dead body of a Japanese climber was found, and a search is ongoing for the second climber,” said Wali Ullah Falahi, the Shigar district deputy commissioner.
The body was found 300 metres (984 feet) below Camp 3, he said, set at around 6,200 metres (20,341 feet) from where climbers prepare for the final summit.
Naiknam Karim, head of Adventure Tours Pakistan which organised the expedition, said that “it is not clear whose dead body has been found”.
The search by high-altitude climbers and experts was backed by two Pakistan Army helicopters.