Mansehra, Pakistan, 3 September (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The body of Alexander Harris, a 30-year-old British-Irish trekker who disappeared while descending Musa Ka Musalla in northern Pakistan, has been found following a three-day search involving police, rescuers and local volunteers. Pakistani officials believe he may have slipped and fallen while descending in deteriorating weather.
Harris, originally from Birmingham, had been living in Islamabad and working for global advisory company Adam Smith International. He went missing on Saturday, 29 August, after reaching the summit of Musa Ka Musalla, a mountain rising more than 4,000 metres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Why did Alexander Harris go missing on Musa Ka Musalla?
Harris began the trek at around 5.40am with a hiking companion. After reaching the summit and taking photographs, the pair started descending but became separated because they were travelling at different speeds.
Mansehra Deputy Commissioner Khalid Iqbal said Harris moved approximately one to two kilometres ahead before conditions worsened.
“There was a difference in their speed,” Iqbal said. “He [Harris] was moving faster, he got about 1-2km ahead. Then it started raining.”
Pakistan’s Associated Press reported that police, Rescue 1122, the Forest Department and local volunteers joined the operation. Five search teams, including around 206 police personnel, searched mountainous terrain before Harris’s body was recovered from Pracha Forest on Wednesday. Authorities said an investigation into the exact circumstances was continuing.
Iqbal said the trekkers had not registered their trip with local authorities. According to the deputy commissioner, their hotel had offered a local guide and police security, but the assistance was declined.
What rescuers faced during the three-day search
Between 250 and 300 people were estimated to have participated in the wider search effort, including police officers and volunteers. Teams searched on foot and deployed drones, although poor visibility limited their effectiveness.
Margalla Trail Runners, the Islamabad group of which Harris was a member, said preliminary information indicated that adverse weather and severely reduced visibility may have caused him to stray onto the wrong trail before falling into a ravine.
His employer, Adam Smith International, described Harris as a “much loved member” of its team and said he “cared deeply for Pakistan, its people, its nature, and learned Urdu during his time there”.
What happens after the recovery of Harris’s body?
Pakistani authorities are continuing to establish the precise circumstances surrounding Alexander Harris‘s death. The local administration has so far described a fall as the likely cause rather than announcing a final investigative conclusion.
The UK Foreign Office said it was supporting the family of a British man who had died in Pakistan and was in contact with local authorities. Harris also held Irish citizenship.
Adam Smith International thanked local residents, police, rescuers, forest officials and members of Harris’s trail-running community who took part in the difficult search, saying its focus remained on supporting his family.
