Copter fails to rescue two Japanese climbers who fell from K2

KHAPLU/SKARDU: Two elite Japanese mountain climbers fell from 7,500 metres while trying to scale the world’s second highest mountain, K2, officials said, adding that a helicopter spotted the “motionless pair” but had to return without rescuing them.

Veteran mountaineers Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima were attempting an ascent of the jagged western face of the world’s second highest mountain, using an expert climbing style prioritising speed and relying on minimal fixed ropes.

But on Saturday “they fell from a height of 7,500 metres (24,600 feet)”, Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) Secretary Karrar Haidri said in a statement.

“A helicopter rescue was attempted, however the heli could not land,” said Wali Ullah Falahi, the deputy commissioner for Shigar district, which encompasses the 8,611-metre K2.

“Upon close inspection, the bodies of the two climbers were spotted, and it was determined that there was no movement. The heli then turned back,” he told AFP.

No organisation, as yet, has confirmed the pair are dead.

Ishii Sports — a Japanese outdoor goods brand sponsoring the pair — said the high altitude and steep slope forced the helicopter to abort its landing.

“The pilot said the two men can be seen, but their status was unclear,” the firm said in a statement. “We are currently reviewing how we will rescue them.”

Rescue attempts are extremely risky on K2, even on the southeastern ridge, which is the most common route climbers take to the top.

Deputy Commissioner Falahi conveyed to The News that the chances of reaching the injured climbers are increasingly slim. The climbers were undertaking an alpine-style ascent on the southern face of K2 without the support of fixed ropes, which significantly complicates rescue operations.

The western face is a more vertical and exposed rock face, and has only been successfully scaled once before by a Russian team in 2007.

The ACP said Hiraide and Nakajima had both won multiple Piolets d’Or awards — described as “the Oscars of climbing” — for their feats of sportsmanship.

They “meticulously planned and trained for their K2 expedition, underscoring their dedication to pushing the boundaries of high-altitude mountaineering”, the ACP said.

During this summer climbing season three other Japanese climbers have died in Pakistan — all on the 7,027-metre Spantik mountain, which is also in the Gilgit Baltistan region.

Earlier on Sunday, the latest expedition on K2, the world’s second-highest peak, has successfully reached the summit. The team responsible for fixing the ropes accomplished the ascent to the summit, marking a significant milestone for the current climbing season. Among the climbers who reached the top were Pakistani mountaineers Ali Durrani, Imtiaz Siddiqui, and Ashraf Siddiqui, who, in collaboration with their Nepali counterparts, completed the ascent. In addition, female climbers from the Italian Jubilee Expedition, alongside other climbers, have successfully arrived at Camp Three, further contributing to the success of the expedition. However, the triumph has been overshadowed by a distressing incident involving the two Japanese climbers.