Body of climber Nirmal Purja, six others recovered after Pakistan avalanche

An avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range claimed the lives of ten mountaineers from an international expedition, with recovery operations continuing in one of the world's most challenging mountaineering environments. The disaster struck the 8,051-metre peak, the world's twelfth-highest mountain, around midday on Thursday, trapping climbers in extremely remote and demanding terrain.

Rescue efforts have successfully recovered seven bodies, including that of Nirmal Purja, a 43-year-old Nepali-British mountaineer who achieved international prominence in 2019 by summiting all fourteen of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in a record 189 days. His accomplishment was later documented in a Netflix production. Purja, a former Gurkha soldier who served in the British Army, had continued his mountaineering career and participated in the first winter ascent of K2 by an all-Nepali team.

Recovery teams located four bodies on Friday but initially brought down only three due to adverse weather conditions that grounded helicopter operations. The recovered climbers included Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani mountaineer Nadhira Al Harthy, and American climber Mallory Geis. A ground team subsequently reached Purja and three additional climbers on Sunday: Chinese mountaineer Wang Zhong and Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa.

Three climbers remain unaccounted for, including Sohail Sakhi, a Pakistani guide and photographer who had planned to retire from expedition work following this climb. The retrieval operation faces significant logistical challenges due to Pakistan's limited capacity for long-line helicopter rescues compared to neighbouring Nepal. The expedition included climbers from five nations—Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the United States, and China—reflecting the international appeal of Broad Peak among serious mountaineers.