GILGIT: A 10-member Japanese team has started its campaign to climb K2, the second highest peak in the world.

The expedition team departed from Askoli towards K2 base camp on Sunday.

The climbers include Mr Akira Oyabe, 47, Mr Norio Katayangi, 69, Mr Takashi Higashiyama, 37,Ms Teruko Otomo, 73, Mr Masaaki Yusa, 55, Mr Hotaka Shirakura, 54, Ms Kyoko Hayashi, 45, Mr Kojiro Watanabe, 41, Mr Masato Iizawa, 32, and Mr Atsushi Taguchi, 30.

The expedition has been organised by local Nazir Sabir Expedition.

Rehmat Futto, an official of the expedition, told Dawn that the foreign expedition was accompanied by 115 local porters.

This is first expedition team of K2 this season, he added. He said the expedition team would arrive at the K2 base camp till Friday.

The foreign expedition team will try to summit the crown of North till August 25, he maintained.

According to the GB Council secretariat, 45 foreign trekking groups and 36 mountaineering groups have been issued permits for 2018, which is the highest in last three years.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2018