Rescue teams hoping for ‘miracle’ as search continues for climbers missing on mountain

THE SEARCH for two European climbers missing for more than a week on the world’s ninth-highest mountain will continue today.

Tom Ballard, whose mother died on K2, was climbing Nanga Parbat in Pakistan with Italian Daniele Nardi when they lost contact on February 24.

Aerial reconnaissance on Monday found no trace of the climbers and the search resumed again yesterday.

Four Spanish rescuers were flown to the area by military helicopter on Monday and were joined by Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara at base camp.

Despite it being more than a week since contact was made with the pair, Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said: “Miracles do happen and have happened in the past in such incidents so we are hoping to find them.”

Italian Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said the climbers are “two tough guys” and he hopes they can be found alive.

On Tuesday he tweeted a picture of the area and confirmed the search would continue on Wednesday both on the mountain and with the use of drones.

He wrote: “Today @AlexTxikon and his team have conducted the search for @NardiDaniele and Tom Ballard on the #NangaParbat, on the ground between C1 and C3 whilst the drones have flown up to 6500 meters. Tomorrow the search continues both by foot and with the drones.”

Two Pakistani mountaineers were with the missing pair but had decided to turn back because they thought it was too dangerous.

Mr Ponteocorvo acknowledged the summit is a “very difficult” one.

Mr Ballard, 30, was born in Derbyshire but moved to the Scottish Highlands in 1995, the year his mother, Alison Hargreaves, died on K2 when she was 33, months after becoming the first woman to conquer Everest unaided.

Friends of the climbers have raised more than £115,244 towards the search effort in two days through a GoFundMe page.

The target of the fundraiser is 150,000 euros (£128,500).

Mountain guide Sandy Allan, who has climbed with Hargreaves and knows Ballard, said he remains hopeful but admitted to having some “negative thoughts” after Monday’s rescue flights failed to locate the pair.