Search finds no sign of Derbyshire climber missing in Pakistan

Rescue teams looking for a Derbyshire climber and his Italian companion missing in Pakistan have found no sign of the pair during a search using military helicopters.
Climbers Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi have been missing since February 24. Photo - GoFundMe pageClimbers Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi have been missing since February 24. Photo - GoFundMe page
Climbers Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi have been missing since February 24. Photo - GoFundMe page

Tom Ballard and Italian Daniele Nardi were trying to reach the summit of Nanga Parbat - nicknamed “Killer Mountain” - but have not been seen or heard from since February 24.

A full-scale search operation was launched on Monday for the pair, led by Spanish and Pakistani high altitude teams.

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Sister of missing Derbyshire climber calls for fundraising donations as search for him continuesBut the teams were unable to find any sign of the pair during the search, which involved military helicopters and a drone. Other rescuers also attempted to trace the pair's steps on foot.

Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said there had been "no sign of climbers or a camp site", the BBC reported.

It was hoped the rescue team will be able to continue the search today if the weather improves.

Posting on Facebook at the weekend, Tom's sister Kate called on people to donate towards the cost of the search operation. She said: "To those beautiful humans that have asked how they can help... Flight time, this is all you can do a Dollar, a Swiss franc, a Euro or a Pound... please. Helicopters, especially in the high mountains of Pakistan are expensive. Anything you can add will add flight time to the rescue."

And the GoFundMe campaign has so far reached €135,602.

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Tom, originally from Belper, is the son of Alison Hargreaves, who was killed on the K2 mountain in 1995, aged 33.

Nanga Parbat, dubbed “Killer Mountain” after the deaths of several climbers there is the world’s ninth highest mountain.

An experienced climber, Tom became first person to solo climb all six of the great north faces of the Alps in the winter season.

To donate to the GoFundMe page, click here.