Surviving mountaineer arrives at embassy

Workers of the Pakistani political party Muttahida Qaumi Movement light candles to commemorate victims slain by militants, in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday. Islamic militants wearing police uniforms shot and killed 10 foreign tourists and one Pakistani guide. Fareed Khan / Associated Press

China's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that the Chinese survivor of the al-Qaida terrorist attack in northern Pakistan, as well as the families of the two Chinese victims, have arrived safely at the Chinese embassy in Islamabad.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China is appalled by the violent shooting in the Gilgit-Baltistan area on Sunday, which claimed the lives of 11 mountain trekkers.

The ministry and the Chinese embassy in Pakistan will take every possible measure to help the rescued climber return home and assist the victims' families with repatriation, she said.

"We demand that the Pakistan side guarantee the safety of the survivor, arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible and take effective measures to ensure the security and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens in Pakistan," Hua said.

Two Chinese amateur mountaineers, Yang Chunfeng from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Rao Jianfeng from Guangdong province, lost their lives in the pre-dawn attack. The pair had joined an international mountain climbing team to conquer the 8,125-meter Nanga Parbat peak, the world's ninth-highest mountain.

Another Chinese team member, Zhang Jingchuan, reportedly hid in a drain and was later rescued.

Zhang, 42, from Yunnan province, called his friends twice for help at 4 am and 7:51 am with a satellite phone after evading the shooters.

The former scout in the military said the attackers ordered them out of the hotel and opened fire without even asking questions, adding that he watched helplessly as his friends were shot dead.

Zhang called Yang's family at 8:20 am to tell them what had happened but he could not be reached until 4 pm when he finally contacted his own family.