British trekker, 30, is found dead in northern Pakistan ‘after becoming separated from his friend as they descended mountain’
A British trekker, Alexander Harris, 30, has been found dead in northern Pakistan after becoming separated from a friend while descending a mountain, in an incident that prompted a major search effort involving hundreds of police, volunteers and drones. Harris, who was from Birmingham and held Irish citizenship, had lived and worked in Islamabad for the advisory firm Adam Smith International, and was an experienced hiker who had previously climbed the same peak.
Harris and his friend, Alun David Cooper Cledwyn, climbed the 13,000ft Musa Ka Musalla mountain on Saturday, taking photographs at the summit before starting their descent, when rain began and the pair became separated as Harris moved faster ahead. His body was later discovered on a path in the Paracha Jungle, a densely forested area locals reportedly avoid, with officials suspecting he slipped and fell after straying onto the wrong trail amid poor visibility. Tributes have been paid by his running clubs and employer, who praised his love of Pakistan and its culture, and thanked the roughly 300 people involved in the search.
In short
- British hiker Alexander Harris, 30, found dead in Pakistan
- He got separated from a friend descending Musa Ka Musalla mountain
- About 300 searchers found his body in dense jungle after he apparently fell
Explained simply
Musa Ka Musalla is a mountain in northern Pakistan, rising to about 13,000 feet. Trekkers climb it for its high summit and remote surroundings, but rain and poor visibility can make mountain paths harder to follow, especially on the way down.
Alexander Harris was a British trekker from Birmingham who held Irish citizenship and lived in Islamabad, where he worked for the advisory firm Adam Smith International. He had climbed Musa Ka Musalla before. His friend, Alun David Cooper Cledwyn, was with him on the hike.
The incident involved a descent through Paracha Jungle, a densely forested area where locals reportedly avoid some paths. It drew attention to the difficulties of searching for someone in remote terrain, with hundreds of police and volunteers and drones involved in the effort.
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