TWO MOUNTAINEERS' BODIES FOUND IN NORTHERN PAKISTAN

ISLAMABAD, JULY 31 /SRNA/ - At least two bodies have been found after an avalanche buried at least 10 mountaineers in northern Pakistan, and searches are under way for the others, officials said.

At least six men from Nepal, one each from China and Pakistan, as well as one US and one Omani national, were part of the expedition that lost contact with its base yesterday morning.

"The bodies of the woman from Oman and the man from Nepal were found today and will be airlifted by helicopter," said the club's secretary general, Ajaz Shigri.

The expedition on Broad Peak, a mountain standing at 8,047 metres, was led by renowned Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja when an avalanche hit it, the Pakistani Alpine Club, the body that oversees mountaineering activities, said.

Broad Peak is one of the highest mountains in the world. Hundreds of mountaineers attempt to climb it every year, along with K2, the world's second-highest peak, which is located in the same region.

Expedition leader Purja is known for having climbed all of the world's peaks above 8,000 metres.

Experts say that mountaineering accidents are common on Pakistan's peaks and that their frequency is increasing due to climate change, DPA reports.