SWAT: Rescue teams on Monday suspended the search operation for the body of veteran mountaineer Syed Ali Shah Mian, who died after an accident while descending from Falak Sar, the highest peak in Swat’s Hindu Kush mountain range.
According to family sources, the search team was forced to return after adverse weather made the operation unsafe. The search for the body will now resume after August, subject to improved weather conditions.
Syed Ali Shah Mian, a resident of Khwazakhela, Swat, lost his life nearly two weeks ago during the descent after successfully summiting the 5,985-meter (19,636-foot) Falak Sar Peak.
The mountaineering team was at an altitude of approximately 5,600 meters when Ali Shah slipped on a steep slope estimated at 70 to 80 degrees and fell into a deep ravine.
A member of the expedition said the incident occurred on July 10 while the team was descending from the summit.
“Syed Ali Shah slipped and fell into a steep gully below the ridge of the peak. We managed to reach him, but he had suffered a severe spinal injury and was completely paralysed.”
The climber said the team remained with him throughout the following day and night, attempting to rescue him.
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“Due to the lack of professional climbing and rescue equipment, it was impossible to evacuate him safely. The next morning, we were caught in a severe snowstorm, and Syed Ali Shah succumbed to his injuries.”
Upper Swat Deputy Commissioner Sohail Khan said the district administration was informed of the incident on July 17, after which local authorities initiated rescue efforts.
He said injured and ill members of the expedition were provided medical assistance, while the remaining climbers also underwent medical examinations and were found to be in satisfactory condition.
The deputy commissioner said Falak Sar is one of the region’s most challenging peaks, adding that preliminary findings suggest the accident may have been caused by slippery conditions and the possible failure of a climbing rope.
Falak Sar, meaning “the peak touching the sky,” is located in the Ushu-Matiltan Valley of Swat. At 5,985 meters, it is the highest peak in Swat and among the most technically demanding mountains in the Hindu Kush range.
The route to the summit is characterized by steep icy glaciers, deep crevasses, vertical ice walls, and massive rock formations, making it one of the most dangerous climbs among the region’s nearly 6,000-meter peaks.
Syed Ali Shah Mian was an experienced mountaineer who had successfully summited Falak Sar and several other peaks on multiple occasions, proudly hoisting the Pakistani flag at their summits.