- The body of veteran Nepalese-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja was found on Sunday, three days after he and nine fellow climbers were swept away in an avalanche on Broad Peak, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Gilgit-Baltistan.
- The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said the 43-year-old mountaineer's body was found at around 5,700 metres; five bodies have been recovered, with efforts underway to locate the remaining five.
- An ACP ground rescue team reached Purja at approximately 5,700m on Broad Peak, where three additional bodies were sighted but remained unidentified.
- Recovery efforts continue under extremely difficult terrain conditions; according to the ACP, avalanche risk and steep slopes challenge rescuers, while weather prevented helicopter use.
The body of Nirmal Purja, a celebrated Nepalese-British mountaineer, was located at approximately 5,700 metres on Broad Peak, three days after an avalanche struck, claiming the lives of him and nine fellow climbers.123
The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) reported that recovery efforts are ongoing, with five bodies already retrieved. The team faced significant challenges due to the mountain's treacherous terrain and adverse weather conditions, which prevented helicopter assistance.
Purja, known for his record of climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in just six months, was nearing the completion of his mission to summit all these peaks twice. His expedition group included climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the United States, and China.
The avalanche occurred on Thursday, sweeping the climbers away on Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain, located in the Karakoram range near K2. The ACP confirmed that the ground rescue team has reached the site, where three additional bodies have been sighted but not yet identified.4
Recovery efforts are complicated by the mountain's steep slopes and the risk of further avalanches, as the ACP continues to work under extremely difficult conditions.
The bodies of four climbers were recovered on Friday, including those of Oman's Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy, Nepal's Pur Bahadur Gurung, and American Mallory Geis. The bodies were subsequently airlifted to Skardu, a city in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“An Alpine Club of Pakistan ground rescue team reached Purja, known as 'Nims Dai', at roughly 5,700m on Broad Peak, where three additional bodies were sighted but remain unidentified. Five bodies have been recovered so far, with rescue hampered by avalanche risk, steep slopes and weather that grounded helicopters, bringing bodies to the Japanese camp.”
Vajiram & Ravi
