MANSEHRA: The body of an Irish mountaineer who went missing while descending Musa Da Musalla peak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Siran Valley has been recovered after an extensive search operation.
The deceased, identified as Alexander, was found in a deep gorge in the Paracha Khatta area on Wednesday after several days of searching in difficult weather and challenging terrain.
Alexander had travelled to Siran Valley on August 28 along with British national Alun David Cooper Cledwyn and a local guide to summit the 13,500-foot-high Musa Da Musalla peak. The climbers successfully reached the summit and began their descent on August 30.
During the descent, Alexander moved ahead of the group and became separated amid heavy rain and dense fog. Cledwyn and the guide continued towards the base camp, but launched efforts to locate him after he failed to arrive.
Police were informed and a large-scale search operation was launched under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General of Police Nasir Mehmood Satti.
Police teams, Forest Department officials, Rescue 1122 personnel, local residents and trained mountaineers participated in the operation. More than 250 police personnel were deployed, while two teams of specially trained mountaineers also took part in the search.
Local residents assisted rescuers because of their knowledge of the difficult terrain and forest routes in Siran Valley. After days of searching in poor visibility, forest officials and local residents spotted Alexander’s body in a gorge.
Recovering the body was challenging because of the steep and densely forested terrain. A police official involved in the operation said it took around four hours to bring the body to the base camp at Mandachucha.
The body was subsequently transported to a health facility for medico-legal procedures. Officials said the exact cause of death had not yet been established, while an initial assessment suggested that Alexander may have slipped and fallen into the gorge because of poor visibility, rain and fog.
Police also confirmed that the mountaineers had travelled to the area without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the police and other relevant departments.
DIG Satti said the family of the deceased had reached Islamabad and assured them of full assistance in completing the required legal procedures.
He also said Hazara police remained committed to ensuring the safety of foreign visitors and appreciated the efforts of police personnel, rescuers, mountaineers and local residents who participated in the difficult recovery operation.
