Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, has pressed the British Foreign Office for additional help in finding two Belfast climbers missing in the Himalayas. Mr Ian Rendle (41) and Mr Gordon Campbell (38) have not been heard of since they made a telephone call home from a small village in the foothills of K2 in northern Pakistan on July 18th.
They were due to return home more than a fortnight ago, and now Dr Mowlam has asked British Foreign Minister, Mr Robin Cook, to add his weight to the pressure for a large-scale search.
Ordinary helicopters cannot operate in the high altitude conditions of the Himalayas, and the search is being further hampered by political difficulties in the region. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, has already asked the Pakistani government for help.