Pakistan: 2 British mountaineers trapped near peak

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistani authorities continued rescue operations on Monday to retrieve the two British mountaineers trapped on a mountain slope in the northwest of the country.

"Two British nationals and two local guides were rescued on Sunday however, two British trekkers are still trapped in the area," Sanaullah, a local police officer, told Anadolu Agency, referring to the mountaineers stuck near the Koyo Zom peak in the district of Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

One British climber was injured after having fell from a height, while another is reported to be safe with military rescue teams trying to extract them, he added.

Koyo Zom, the highest peak in the Hindu Raj range with a summit at over 6700 metres (22,000 feet) high, is located between the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges at the boundary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces.

According to officials, the four British climbers went missing on Sunday when they were trying to scale Koyo in the Upper Chitral area.

Later, the Pakistani army found and rescued the two British climbers, transporting them to medical facilities for treatment. The other two remain missing.

"The rescue team is trying to retrieve the trapped mountaineers but helicopters couldn't land due to bad weather," Sanaullah said.

The British team had arrived at the Koyo Zom base camp earlier this month.