SKARDU: One of the two Japanese climbers was found dead and his body was recovered from a mountain in northern Pakistan on Saturday, said a government official.
Atsushi Taguchi and Ryuseki Hiraoka were trying to reach the summit of the 7,027-metre-high Spantik mountain in the Karakoram range before they went missing this week.
Wali Ullah Falahi, the deputy commissioner of Shigar district told media that the dead body of the Japanese climber was found, and a search is ongoing to find the second climber. He said that the body had been identified as Ryuseki Hiraoka.
He said the dead body was found 300 metres (984 feet) below Camp 3, which is about 6,200 metres above sea level and where climbers prepare for the final climb.
The search by high-altitude climbers and experts was supported by two Pakistan Army helicopters. The two climbers reached the base camp on June 3 and were attempting the climb without the help of porters.
A military helicopter located the climbers on Thursday, but the search was called off due to poor weather conditions. Spantik, also known as the Golden Peak, is a relatively accessible and straightforward peak according to the website of a tourist company, Adventure Tours.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres, including K2, the world’s second highest.
According to government figures, more than 8,900 foreigners came to the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2013, where most of the Karakoram range is located.
