Taiwanese tourist dies in Pakistan mountain accident
The woman fell from a cliff in the scenic Hunza Valley on Friday as she and a male French climber were returning from a trek to a nearby glacier.
"Yu-Ching Chang, a female tourist from Taiwan has died after falling from a cliff while returning from Patundas peak on Friday," local police official Fakhruddin Ahmed told AFP.
Police and local volunteers have retrieved her body from the glacier, he added.
Hussain Jami, another official, said Chang's French friend had reported the accident to police in the nearby village of Passu.
The dramatic scenery of the Hunza Valley is popular with tourists, who often trek without guides as the area is considered relatively safe for foreigners, unscathed by the insurgency gripping other parts of Pakistan.
Imtiaz Ali, owner of local tour operator Hunza Holiday, said most independent trekkers in the area stick to safe routes, but the accident took place on a treacherous stretch of the mountain.
"The descending route that the tourists took is very dangerous -- even the locals take very care and avoid the Bandh trek," Ali told AFP.
"One miscalculated step will result in nothing short of death as one would fall thousands feet down on rocks."
COMMENTS (6)
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So sad. She's my friend's sister :-(
Rest in Peace....
So sad. One must b very careful in mountains
Indeed very sad, for the tourists, The tourists must get a local guide for assistance that will help avoiding high risk locations in those mountains
Sad to hear that. I am glad there is no Indian here for now taking advantage of the tragedy and calling it lack of security provided by Pakistanis or something completely illogical like that.