Traces of the two Japanese climbers who went missing last Wednesday while attempting to summit the 7,027-metre Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, have been found, according to a statement released by Karrar Haidri, Secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. However, their exact whereabouts and condition remain unknown.
“The Shigar deputy commissioner stated that they had identified a potential location for the climbers, but it was still unclear if the climbers were actually there, and their health status remained unknown,” Haidri’s statement read.
The missing climbers, Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi, were ascending the peak Alpine style, a method characterized by quick climbing with minimal gear and no fixed camps. They reportedly 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 present.
“The team then halted their expedition and returned to the base camp to alert the authorities,” the statement continued.
Rescue operations were conducted twice early Thursday around 6:30 am, focusing on a location approximately 5,500 meters high, between Camp 2 and Camp 3, according to Haidri.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains that exceed 8,000 meters, including K2, the second-highest peak globally. In 2023, more than 8,900 foreign visitors trekked to the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region, where the summer climbing season runs from early June to late August.
Efforts to locate and rescue Hiraoka and Taguchi are ongoing as authorities continue to monitor the situation.
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