Two Japanese climbers fell while trying to summit K2

Two Japanese mountain climbers, Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima, fell from a height of 7,500 metres on Pakistan’s K2 and officials have reported no sign of movement from the site.

“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,” according to officials.

The mountaineers were attempting to ascend the western face of the world’s second-highest mountain.

No organisation, as yet, has confirmed the pair are dead.

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Rescue attempts are extremely risky on K2, even on the southeastern ridge, which is the most common route climbers take to the top.

The western face, known for its extreme verticality and exposure, has only been successfully climbed once before, by a Russian team in 2007.