Rescue Mission Ends With Recovery of Ali Shah Body

News Desk

Swat:  A 54-day search and recovery operation on Falak Sar, the highest peak in Swat’s Kalam Valley, has ended with the recovery of the body of mountaineer Syed Ali Shah Mian from an altitude of around 5,200 metres.

Mian died on July 11 after successfully attempting to scale Falak Sar and was reported missing while descending the mountain. Rescue teams spent weeks searching the treacherous terrain before locating his body at the high-altitude site.

The recovery operation was carried out under extremely difficult weather conditions, with the team eventually managing to bring the body down to the base camp.

However, the mission is not yet over. Adverse weather has made helicopter evacuation impossible, forcing rescuers to undertake the final and potentially arduous stage of the operation on foot.

The team is now attempting to transport Mian’s body from the base camp to Kalam through difficult mountainous terrain.

The prolonged operation highlights the severe challenges faced by rescue teams working on some of the region’s most difficult peaks, where harsh weather, high altitude and inaccessible terrain can turn a recovery mission into a weeks-long effort.

Falak Sar, rising to more than 6,000 metres, is among the prominent peaks in the Swat region and attracts mountaineers despite the demanding conditions surrounding its ascent and descent.