Emergency services in Pakistan have located the body of a man they believe to be an Irish mountaineer who went missing while climbing in the country’s mountainous northern region.

Alexander Mark Harris (30), a dual Irish-British citizen who had been living in Pakistan, went missing at the weekend while climbing on the 4,060m Musa Ka Musalla mountain in the Siran Valley of the Mansehra district with British national Alun David Cooper Cledwyn.

Pakistani police said the two men took separate routes back on their descent of the mountain with the plan to meet in the town of Mandachucha.

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Cledwyn reached the town but Harris did not, triggering a search-and-rescue operation involving about 200 people including police and personnel from Rescue 1122, the emergency rescue service in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Khalid Iqbal, Manshera deputy police commissioner, told The Irish Times that Harris’s body had been located in a deep ravine using a drone but had not yet been recovered.

The area where the body was found had experienced intermittent rain and an operation is now under way to recover his remains from the ravine.

“This is an extremely difficult area,” Khan said.

He said there were narrow ravines, dangerous mountain tracks and deep drops in the area and that a single wrong step for a climber could have serious consequences.

The search team included local residents and shepherds familiar with the terrain.

Police described Harris as an experienced trekker.

Khan said he had previously trekked on Musa Ka Musalla and regularly travelled to different locations in the region to trek.

Harris worked for British global aid and development consultancy Adam Smith International in Islamabad, about 250km south of the area where he was hiking.

A spokesman for the company said they were “devastated by the loss of our colleague”, who he described as “a much-loved member” of the team.

The company said he was a dual Irish-British citizen.

“An experienced hiker and trail runner, he cared deeply for Pakistan, its people, its nature, and learned Urdu during his time there,” he said.

“We are deeply grateful to the hundreds of people who joined the search effort, including local residents, volunteers, police, rescue teams, forest department, members of Alex’s trail running community, and the government of Pakistan that supported the operation.

“They searched tirelessly in difficult conditions, often in heavy rain, fog and poor visibility, over steep and challenging terrain.”

The spokesman added: “Our thoughts are with Alex’s family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time. We remain focused on supporting his family.”