KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistani authorities have launched fresh efforts to rescue two Japanese climbers who fell from K2, the world's second-highest mountain, on Saturday in northern Pakistan, a mountaineering official told Anadolu on Sunday.
It comes after a Pakistan army helicopter could not land to pick the mountaineers because of high altitude, said Karrar Haidri, secretary general of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country's official mountaineering association.
Waliullah Falahi, the deputy commissioner of Shigar district of Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) region, which is home to K2, however, told Anadolu that no ground operation had been launched. He did not specify the reason for the delay.
Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima who traveled to Pakistan to take on the challenge of the west face of K2, using the alpine style approach, fell from a height of 7,500 meters (24,606 feet) off the 8,611-meter (28,251 ft) peak K2, according to Haidri.
"Their condition is still not known. Therefore, we can't predict anything about them at this stage," he added.
The Japanese Embassy in Islamabad also said that the duo's condition is "currently unknown."
Hiraide, a renowned mountaineer, has won three Piolets d'Or awards, the most prestigious accolade in the field of alpinism.
G-B is home to five of 14 highest peaks in the world. It has seen several mountain accidents involving Japanese climbers in recent months.
Three Japanese climbers have been killed while trying to scale and descending the 7,027-meter Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, in alpine style since June.
Alpine style, characterized by minimal use of fixed ropes and support, emphasizes speed and efficiency, and is known for its high level of difficulty and risk.
