Two Japanese climbers fall from K2 in Pakistan, rescue efforts fail

SKARDU:

Two elite Japanese climbers fell from Pakistan’s K2, officials said Sunday after a helicopter rescue attempt spotted the motionless pair but had to turn back.

Veteran climbers Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima were attempting an ascent of the jagged west face of the world’s second-highest mountain, using an expert climbing style that prioritized speed and relied on minimal fixed ropes.

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

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

“After close inspection, the bodies of the two climbers were located and it was found that there was no movement. The helix then turned back,” he told AFP.

No organization, so far, has confirmed that the couple is dead.

Ishii Sports — a Japanese outdoor gear brand that sponsors the couple — said the high altitude and steep slope forced the helicopter to abort its landing.

“The pilot said the two men could be seen, but their condition was unclear,” the company said in a statement. “Right now we’re looking at how to save them.”

Rescue efforts are extremely dangerous on K2, even on the southeast ridge, which is the most common route climbers take to the summit.

The west 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 mission, underscoring their dedication to pushing the limits of high-altitude mountaineering,” the ACP said.

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

Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains above 8,000 meters, including K2 which is considered more difficult to climb than Everest, giving it the nickname “Wild Mountain”.