Elite Japanese climbers fall while trying to scale K2

Fears for two Japanese climbers, Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima, are growing after a helicopter team reported "no movement" from the two men following a fall at Pakistan's K2.

Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said the veteran mountaineers "fell from a height of 7,500 metres (24,600 feet)."

A helicopter deployed to rescue the climbers managed to find them, said local official Wali Ullah Falahi. However, the aircraft was not able to land.

"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 the AFP news agency.

Risky climb of 'killer mountain'

The pair's sponsor, Japanese brand Ishii Sports, said a rescue helicopter aborted its landing due to the high altitude and steep slope. Rescue attempts on the K2 are extremely risky.

"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." 

The K2 is the world's second-tallest mountain, standing at 8,611 meters and often referred to as the "killer mountain" and "savage mountain." Its ascent is considered even more difficult than that of Everest.

The veteran climbers were hoping to conquer K2's jagged Western face. This side of the mountain has only been successfully scaled once in 2007, by a team of Russian climbers. The Japanese duo apparently used an expert style which prioritizes speed and relies on minimal fixed ropes when they fell.

The secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Karrar Haidri, said he was aware of the incident in which two Japanese went missing on K2 and "we are hoping for a miracle, and miracles do happen after such incidents."

rmt/dj (AFP, AP)