Spantik Peak: One Japanese climber found dead, another still missing

GILGIT: High-altitude porters on Saturday successfully retrieved the body of one of the two Japanese climbers who went missing on Wednesday while attempting to summit the 7,027-meter Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, confirmed Shigar Deputy Commissioner Waliullah Falahi.

“The body of one of the two Japanese climbers has been moved to a safer location on the peak, while the search for the second climber continues,” Falahi told HUM News English. He added that the identity of the deceased climber has not yet been confirmed, but porters have verified that he is one of the missing duo. The DC said they had fallen below 300 meters from Camp 3

Falahi noted that they were in contact with the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad and the tour operating company. The embassy is also in communication with the families of the climbers. He mentioned that the family and the embassy would decide whether to repatriate the body to Japan or lay it to rest in Pakistan, and the authorities would act accordingly based on their decision. Army helicopters had located the possible location of the climbers on Thursday, aiding in the rescue and recovery operations.

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The climbers — Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi — ascending in Alpine style without porters, reached Camp 2 at 5,300 meters on Monday. However, when another seven-member Japanese expedition team arrived at the camp the following day, Hiraoka and Taguchi were not there. Consequently, the team suspended their expedition and returned to the base camp to inform officials.

Earlier, Adventure Tours Pakistan, which arranged the expedition, CEO Naiknam Karim reported to HUM News English that the duo aimed to summit the peak in Alpine style without establishing Camp 3 and subsequently went missing.