The weekslong search for a missing female hiker has ended in tragedy, after her body was found on the Shishapangma mountain range in southwestern China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on Sunday.

The cause of the woman’s death has yet to be confirmed, with local authorities telling domestic media that an investigation into the incident is ongoing and that more details would be released as they emerged.

The woman — who has been identified only by her nickname Rocky — was from Shanghai and was born in the 1990s. She reportedly traveled alone to Shishapangma on July 19, and lost contact with the outside world the following day.

According to an online appeal for help posted by a friend, Rocky had originally planned to hike a 56-kilometer route leading up to a glacial formation known as the “ice tower forest” on the mountain’s northern slope.

After being unable to contact Rocky for five days, a family member reported her missing to the local police and hired two search and rescue teams to scour Shishapangma for any trace of her.

The family also posted online appeals offering rewards of 200,000 yuan ($27,900) for clues as to her whereabouts and 500,000 yuan for anyone who successfully rescued her.

After days of effort, one of the search teams found a local shepherd who had seen Rocky on July 21. According to the shepherd, Rocky had said she was heading toward the ice tower forest, where her body was ultimately found.

“Rocky has sadly met with a tragic fate. We thank everyone for their ongoing concern,” one of Rocky’s friends, who had been sharing appeals for information about her whereabouts, posted on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu on Monday.

Standing at 8,027 meters above sea level, Mount Shishapangma is located in the center of the Himalayas, approximately 120 kilometers southeast of Mount Everest. It is the 14th highest peak in the world and the only 8,000-meter mountain located entirely within Chinese territory.

While the site is considered by many mountaineers to be among the easier 8,000-meter peaks to scale due to the relatively short and straightforward route to the base camps, it is also known for its treacherous, fast-changing climate. In October 2023, two climbers — including the American mountaineer Anna Gutu — died, and another two went missing after two avalanches occurred on the mountain.

A professional hiking guide surnamed Zhang, who had helped Rocky’s friend gather information about the case over recent weeks, told Sixth Tone that Rocky was an experienced hiker who had previously completed one of China’s most challenging treks, which traverses two peaks in the Qinling Mountains in the northern Shaanxi province.

The trail that Rocky planned to hike at Shishapangma is not overly challenging, with many able to finish it in three to five days, but trying to do so alone is dangerous, Zhang said. “The route Rocky took is not suitable for solo hiking,” he said. “It’s typically traversed in groups due to the high altitude and presence of wild animals.”

As the popularity of outdoor sports grows in China — with thousands of people heading into the wilderness for the first time — there has been a corresponding rise in injuries and deaths.

According to the China Adventure Association, the number of accidents caused by outdoor sports reached 425 in 2023, up 14.2% compared with the previous year. Mountaineering accounted for 156 of those incidents.

(Header image: A view of Mount Shishapangma in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, 2020. IC)