Search for Italian, Scot climber resumes on Pakistan peak

Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan shows pictures of two missing climbers, Briton Tom Ballard, right, and Italian Daniele Nardi in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, March 4, 2019. Pakistani military helicopters took off Monday with four Spanish rescuers to search for a missing pair of European climbers on Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

ISLAMABAD  — A Pakistani mountaineering official and Italy’s ambassador say the search has resumed for two European climbers who went missing on the world’s ninth-highest mountain amid bad weather.

Italian Daniele Nardi and Scotsman Tom Ballard have been missing for more than a week in northern Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat peak, known as “Killer Mountain.”

Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, says the search-and-rescue team of experienced Spanish and Pakistani mountaineers is looking for the pair.

Haidri says that despite the long-time Nardi and Ballard have been missing, there is still hope as in some instances in the past, missing climbers were “miraculously rescued” after a long time.

Italian Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo tweeted that the search resumed on Tuesday and that the rescuers are planning to use drones.  /muf