An Irish mountaineer has gone missing while descending from the over 13,500-foot-high Musa Da Mussala peak in Siran Valley amid rainy weather.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Central Shahnawaz Khan said that two foreign mountaineers had travelled to Siran Valley on Friday to summit the peak, but one of them went missing during the descent.
Khan has been leading the search operation for the missing mountaineer. Five teams have joined the operation, which is being carried out by police, other law-enforcement agencies and Rescue 1122.
According to Khan, the missing mountaineer, identified as Alexander, had travelled to Siran Valley with British national Alun David Cooper Cledwyn. The two had previously visited Gilgit-Baltistan before, arriving at a resort in Mandachucha in Siran Valley.
Khan said that the two mountaineers spent Friday night at the same resort before beginning their journey the following morning.
After reaching the summit, the two mountaineers began their descent towards the resort in Mandachucha. Khan said that they decided to take separate walking tracks during the descent amid rainy weather.
“The British mountaineer descended successfully and reached the resort on Sunday, but his companion is still missing,” Khan said.
Khan also said that the two mountaineers had travelled to Siran Valley without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the police and other relevant departments.
The search operation continued after Cledwyn returned to the resort while Alexander remained missing.
