Pakistani officials reported on Saturday that rescuers had located the body of a Japanese climber who had gone missing at Spantik Peak in the Shigar Valley of northern Pakistan.
“Today (Saturday), we found the body of one of the two missing Japanese climbers, and the search for the second climber is ongoing,” said Shigar Deputy Commissioner Walullah Falahi.
Karrar Haidri, Secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed this development and mentioned that high-altitude porters successfully retrieved the body from Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak.
“The body has been moved to a safer location, but the search for the second climber continues. The identity of the deceased climber has not yet been confirmed. Authorities are coordinating with the Japanese Embassy and the tour company, with decisions pending on whether to repatriate the body or bury it in Pakistan,” Haidri said.
He also noted that army helicopters have been assisting in the rescue efforts since Thursday.
Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi went missing on Tuesday while climbing in Alpine style without porters between the Shigar and Nagar districts in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
In August last year, a Japanese climber was killed, and another was injured during an expedition in the region.
Formerly known as the Northern Area and once part of the erstwhile Pakistan-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five peaks over 8,000 meters (26,246 feet), including K2, the world’s second-highest mountain peak.
Several mountaineers have lost their lives in recent years while attempting to ascend these treacherous mountains. Pakistan’s iconic climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Iceland’s John Snorri, and Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr were killed while attempting to summit the 8,611 meters (28,251 feet) K2 in July 2021.
