The body of Irish mountaineer Alexander, who disappeared while making his way down the 13,500-foot Musa Da Musalla peak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Siran Valley, has been recovered after an extensive search operation.
Rescue teams recovered the foreign climber’s body on Wednesday from a gorge in the Paracha Khatta area, where difficult terrain, heavy rain and thick fog had hampered efforts to locate him.
Alexander had been reported missing along with British national Alun David Cooper Cledwyn while descending the mountain. The two had travelled to Siran Valley on August 28 to climb Musa Da Musalla but, according to police, did not secure the required no-objection certificate from the police or other concerned authorities.
Nasir Mehmood Satti, Deputy Inspector General of Police and head of the search operation, said forest officials and locals spotted the body in a densely wooded gorge. Initial indications suggested that Alexander may have lost his footing due to fog and rain.
Satti said the deceased climber’s family had arrived in Islamabad and assured them that the Hazara police would provide all possible assistance in completing the necessary legal procedures. He said the search had been conducted under extremely challenging conditions and reaffirmed the police commitment to ensuring the safety of foreign visitors in the region.
A police officer involved in the recovery said it took approximately four hours to transport the body from the gorge to the base camp. It was subsequently taken to a healthcare facility for medico-legal procedures.
The officer cautioned that the exact cause of death had yet to be established. However, the location and condition in which the body was discovered indicated that Alexander may have slipped while navigating the mountain during heavy rain and poor visibility.
Police also disclosed that a local guide had accompanied Alexander and Cledwyn during their expedition. According to the guide’s preliminary account, both climbers and the guide began their descent together on August 30 after reaching the summit.
Alexander, however, moved ahead of the others as fog and rain intensified. The guide and Cledwyn later reached the base camp and realised that Alexander was missing. They subsequently alerted authorities after the owner of a nearby resort informed the police.
