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Famed British Nepali climber Nirmal Purja and nine other climbers were killed after being swept away by an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak earlier this week, his expedition company said Saturday. Rescue groups are trying to find the bodies.
“It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” Purja’s company Elite Expeditions said on social media. “We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive.”
Karrar Haidri, the vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed the news.
“This is heartbreaking news for all of us, and we extend our condolences to the families and friends of the climbers,” Haidri said.
Rescuers backed by military helicopters resumed the search Saturday for six members of a 10-member expedition who were swept away by the avalanche. Three of the four bodies found so far have been recovered, officials said.
A local police official, Tahir Khan, said the remains of Omani climber Nathira Ahmed were being flown to the capital, Islamabad, while the bodies of American climber Mallory Geis and Nepalese climber Bahadur Gurung remained at a hospital in Skardu, the main city in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
He said the search-and-rescue efforts were ongoing despite fading hopes.
The team lost contact with their base camp Thursday after an avalanche struck Broad Peak as they attempted to scale the mountain, said Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, on Friday.
He said there has been no contact since then and that experienced Pakistani climbers and army helicopters are taking part in the search-and-rescue operation.
Purja, who led the expedition and was widely known as Nims Dai, had previously climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.” His record was broken in 2023.
“The world has lost one of the mountaineering’s greatest climbers; a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine,” his company said on social media, adding: “Through his actions, he inspired millions of people to believe that they, too, could achieve more than they ever thought possible.”
According to the Alpine Club, the expedition included five Nepalese climbers, the Omani and American climbers, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang and another foreign climber whose identity has not been released.
Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition team was on its way to the small town of Askole and wished them a safe journey climbing Broad Peak.
The expedition was Geis’ first try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan. The 39-year-old, who lived in San Antonio, announced on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take “a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”
It was expected that this expedition would be the final one for Sakhi, who is a guide for Moving Mountains, as well as a geographer and high-altitude photographer who has climbed some of the world’s major peaks.
Broad Peak, at 26,401 feet, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain. It lies in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, home to five of the world’s 14 peaks above 26,000 feet, attracting climbers from around the globe.
Accidents are common on climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, high altitude and rapidly changing weather.
