The rescue operation has ended for two famed Japanese climbers who fell from K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in northern Pakistan.
Hiraide Kazuya and Nakajima Kenro were involved in the accident on Saturday on the mountain, which has a peak of 8,611 meters.
They were part of the Tokyo-based climbing equipment store operator Ishii Sports. The company earlier said an aerial search spotted the pair but the high altitude and the sharp slope hampered the rescue operation.
The firm said on Tuesday that it will end the rescue operation with the consent of their family members. The company added that rescuers cannot reach them by land either because of a risk of secondary accident.
Hiraide and Nakajima are globally known climbers who have scaled unclimbed routes in mountains with the height of over 7,000 meters in northern Pakistan. They won the Piolets d’Or award, which is said to be the Academy Award of mountaineering.
There are several fatal incidents in recent months involving Japanese climbers in the area. Two men went missing at another mountain in June. One of them was confirmed dead. Earlier in July, yet another Japanese climber suffered a fatal fall.