Xinjiang mountaineer killed in terrorist attack

A civilian mountaineer from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was among the two Chinese people killed in a pre-dawn terrorist attack in Pakistan on Sunday.

Yang Chunfeng, 45, a former doctor of traditional Chinese medicine who started mountaineering in 1998, was killed at a camp located 6,500 meters high above sea level in the mountains of Nanga Parbat, according to Yang's assistant, named Maizi, on Sunday night.

Maizi received a call from the Chinese embassy in Pakistan on Sunday, which confirmed Yang's death.

She also received a satellite call from Yang's teammate at about 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, who told her to contact the embassy as Yang would not survive.

Yang's body has been sent to Islamabad and will be transferred to his home city of Urumqi, regional capital of Xinjiang, she said.

Yang was the first person from Xinjiang to make it to the top of Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) in May 2007. He is also the only Chinese civilian mountaineer to make it to the top of 11 of the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world.

Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain in the world.

"Although Yang passed away, his great spirit of exploration will never end," said Yang Jun, head of Xinjiang Shanyou Mountain Rescue Team.

The official microblog of Xinjiang regional government, on the twitter-like Weibo.com, paid tribute to Yang on Sunday.

"You are the great son of Xinjiang. We feel proud of you," it said.

The name of the other Chinese victim is yet to be released.

Ten foreigners, including the two Chinese nationals and one Chinese American, were among 11 people killed in a pre-dawn terrorist attack in Pakistan's northern area of Gilgit-Baltistan on Sunday, said Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.