Missing Japanese trekker found dead in GB mountainous region

A Japanese trekker who went missing in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) area was found dead following a week-long search involving volunteers from a local mountaineering club, a rescue official said on Saturday.

The Japanese visitor, named as 64-year-old Yosuke Akiba, had visited the Masroor Rock vantage point GB’s Skardu area. The spot, approximately 3,700 meters above sea level, is a famous trekking destination that offers spectacular, panoramic views of the city, the Indus River and neighbouring mountains.

Rescue 1122 service spokesman Ghulam Rasool informed the media that Akiba’s body was recovered from a deep crevice in the Hussainabad region near the rockside, where he had gone without a local tourist guide.

“Rescue 1122 Skardu recovered the body of the missing Japanese tourist from a deep crevasse after a continuous seven-day search operation,” stated the official.

“Rescue teams continued the operation with professional expertise and untiring efforts through the extremely difficult mountainous terrain.”

The body was being hauled down to Skardu with the use of ropes and sophisticated equipment, the official said.

Sadpara Mountaineering Club volunteers also took part in the search mission.

Four senior members of the club took part in the operation, club chairman Ghulam Muhammad Sadpara told Arab News.

“Our climbers assisted with the rescue early Saturday morning and the team was able to locate the body,”

A Malaysian visitor died last month in Skardu after purportedly suffering a stroke, according to authorities. Chong Yong Huva, 60, was found dead on April 16 in her hotel room.