![](https://nextpakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Spantik-Peak.jpg)
- June 15, 2024
- Kainat Shakeel
- 0
On Saturday, during a rescue mission at Shigar Valley’s Spantik Peak, the body of one of the two Japanese climbers who went missing was discovered; the second climber is still being searched. Following an initial effort on Wednesday, when ground rescuers were unable to locate the two Japanese climbers, they vanished during their attempt to summit 7,027-meter Spantik Peak. A seven-member Japanese expedition team did not arrive at camp 2 the following day, despite Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi having climbed in the Alpine method without porters to reach the 5,300-meter camp located between the Shigar and Nagar districts of Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday.
One of the climbers has been found dead, Shigar Deputy Commissioner Waliullah Falahi reported to Dawn today. One climber was saved by the nine-person rescue squad and placed in a secure location. He said, “At this point, they’re looking for [the other climber]. Adventure Tours Pakistan’s Naiknaam Karim confirmed that the body had been located and that the second climber was being sought after. When this report was filed, the body’s identity was unknown. DC Nine high-altitude climbers, including four Japanese climbers, started the ground rescue effort on Friday morning, Falahi told Dawn. At 5,300 meters above sea level, the nine-person rescue crew arrived at Camp 2 on Friday night and spent the night there.
The rescue crew members tried to save the missing climbers on Saturday morning by descending a 300-meter crevasse. The two were seen and the possible location was determined on Thursday by Pakistan Army helicopters. Three hundred meters below Camp 3, the body was located. “The rescue teams are making every effort to assist the search and guarantee a prompt and secure outcome,” an official from the Shigar District Attorney’s office stated. “We are closely collaborating with the Japanese authorities to ensure a successful outcome, recognizing the situation’s complexity.” Pakistani authorities are collaborating closely with the Japanese consulate in Karachi and the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad to ensure a prompt and safe resolution, as reported by the Shigar DC.
Local mountain guide Karim Shah Nizari told Dawn that in such conditions, the climbers’ survival became increasingly impossible with every hour. He surmised that they might have been caught in an avalanche or a crack in the ground. He clarified, “The Japanese climbers who went missing were trying to climb in the Alpine style, which requires fixed ropes on occasion when climbing on the slopes in the area.” “After four inches of new snow, these slopes are unstable, making it deadly.” Like other Karakorum peaks, Spantik Peak is subject to erratic weather, the speaker stated. Nizari continued, saying that although the mountaineers in Pakistan were hoping for a safe return, it was highly unlikely given the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.