Two celebrated Japanese climbers, Kazuya Hirade and Kenro Nakajima, went missing on the morning of July 27 while attempting to scale the 8,611-meter K2 peak, the world’s second-highest mountain in Pakistan.
The climbers fell from a height of 7,500 meters on the west side of K2, according to Shigar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Waliullah Falahi. Ishii Sports and a local mountaineering organization said Hiraide and Nakajima fell from a height of about 7,000 meters while climbing the western cliff of K2 on Saturday.
Climbers feared dead
Ishii Sports announced on July 30 that it has called off any potential rescue of Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima with the permission of their families.
Pakistan Army helicopters were deployed to search the area, DC Falahi confirmed. “Two military helicopters flew from Skardu and conducted a search operation at the peak,” he said.
The helicopters spotted the fallen climbers below the 100-meter mark but observed no movement. Unfortunately, the helicopters could neither land nor hover at the altitude, necessitating the preparation of a ground rescue team to retrieve the climbers. As of now, it remains uncertain whether either climber is alive.
The helicopter was forced to abort a rescue attempt and their sponsor Ishii Sports clothing brand said they were on “steep terrain that is difficult to reach”.
The Japanese Embassy official in Islamabad said it was gathering information from local authorities while providing necessary support such as contacting people concerned.
Celebrated Japanese climbers
The missing climbers are known for “impressive achievements and extensive experience.”
Hiraide, 45, and Nakajima, 39, are known as world-class mountaineers, having received the French “Piolet d’Or” (golden ice axe), known as the “Oscar of the mountaineering world.” Hiraide is a three-time winner of the Piolets d’Or and Nakajima has won it twice.
“Both of them are among the world’s strongest mountaineers,” according to professional skier Yuichiro Miura, 91, who has worked with the men on previous expeditions.
Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima both are Japan’s most accomplished mountaineers. They were trying to scale the K2 peak in Pakistan alpine style in which climbers carry a minimal amount of equipment which means no use of supplemental oxygen or fixed ropes and porters. Alpine style is considered extremely challenging for those climbing at elevations above 8,000 meters.
Mountain photographer Takuya Mitoro, who has climbed with both Hiraide and Nakajima, describes ascending an unclimbed route on an 8,000-meter peak as “unimaginably difficult” that “requires high-level judgment since most things are not known until you actually climb it.” At such height “The body’s functions deteriorate, and just being there brings you close to death,” he added.
Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said he was aware of the incident adding that “we are hoping for a miracle, and miracles do happen after such incidents.”
Recent successful summits and some tragedies
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old French climber Benjamin Vedrines has set a new speed record on K2, summiting the peak without bottled oxygen in only 11 hours on July 28 at 11:10 am. “I still find it hard to believe,” Vedrines wrote today on social media. “When I was up there, I also had a hard time realizing where I was and how I got there.”
Earlier this month, rescuers recovered the body of 64-year-old Hiroshi Onishi, who had fallen into a crevasse on Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, which stands at 7,027 meters (23,054 feet). Onishi was the third Japanese climber to perish on Golden Peak within less than two months.
This year, more than 2,000 local and foreign mountaineers are attempting to scale various mountains in Gilgit-Baltistan, including the eight-thousanders: K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum-I, Gasherbrum-II, and Nanga Parbat.
At K2 base camp, climbers had been waiting for a month for suitable weather before making their summit push on July 26.
Meanwhile, 12 Pakistani climbers, one Russian, and two Nepalese climbers successfully summited Broad Peak, which stands at 8,051 meters. This achievement came during a brief window of favorable weather.
Climbers at K2 and Gasherbrum-I also reached a decisive stage in their summit attempts, aiming to reach the peaks by July 28, just before the climbing season in the Karakoram range concludes.