A British climber whose mother made history scaling Mount Everest before her death during an ill-fated expedition on K2 has disappeared on a notoriously dangerous peak in Pakistan known as Killer Mountain.

Tom Ballard, from the Peak District, is attempting to navigate the treacherous Nanga Parbat, which has been given its foreboding nickname due to the high number of fatalities among those who try to conquer it.

The 30-year-old has been climbing the 26,660ft (8,126m) mountain alongside Italian Daniele Nardi, and neither have made contact since Sunday, when they had reached a height of around 20,670ft (6,300m).

Plans for a search and rescue attempt by helicopter had to be called off due to Pakistan closing its airspace amid tensions with India.

Two Indian warplanes have been shot down over Kashmir and an Indian pilot has been captured in what has been a major escalation of the conflict in the disputed territory.

It is hoped that permission to fly will be obtained on Thursday, with experienced Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara – who made it to the top of Nanga Parbat two years ago – drafted in to help with the search.

Mr Ballard had been documenting his efforts on Instagram before going missing and appeared to be in good spirits.

His last post on 19 February showed him on skis as he sized up a steep descent along the mountain, along with the caption: “This should be fun!”

Posting on Facebook on the same day, he said: “Basecamp life is becoming, almost, like a holiday while we wait for that elusive weather window.

“Many new and interesting drytooling boulder problems, luncheon in the sun and afternoon skiing.

“What more could you want?”

The adventurer has been dedicated to climbing some of the toughest mountains in the world since the death of his mother, Alison Hargreaves, in August 1995.

She was 33 when she went missing on K2, which is located on the border of China and Pakistan, and her body was never recovered.

Earlier that year, the mother-of-two had become the first woman to climb Mount Everest – the only mountain peak higher than K2 – unaided.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that it is in contact with Pakistani authorities regarding Mr Ballard, who began his quest to scale Nanga Parbat in December.

He and Mr Nardi reached the first camp at 15,400ft (4,700m) on 7 January and the second camp at 17,000ft (5,200m) just over three weeks later.

Their final contact with base camp came on 22 February and the last word from Mr Ballard came on Sunday, when he spoke to his wife over a satellite phone.

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