Rescuers recover body of climber Nirmal Purja on Broad Peak; three others found after avalanche killed 10

The avalanche and the search

A large avalanche struck Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain at 8,047 metres in Pakistan's Karakoram range, on Thursday morning. It severed all contact with the 10-person international expedition led by 43-year-old British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja. Regional authorities said the group was at roughly 6,600 metres when the slide occurred. Naila Kiani, a member of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told Le Monde that GPS data indicated the climbers fell hundreds of metres down the slope.

Pakistan Army helicopters and high-altitude rescue teams began sweeping the area on Thursday. Operations were suspended on Friday due to bad weather, but resumed on Saturday for a second day. Gilgit-Baltistan police said porters and rescue teams continued the search through difficult terrain and extreme altitude conditions.

Recovery of bodies

On Friday, three bodies were located and flown by helicopter to Skardu: Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, Nepalese guide Pur Bahadur Gurung (known as Yukta), and American climber Mallory Geis. On Sunday, the Alpine Club of Pakistan announced that rescuers had found Purja's body at approximately 5,700 metres, along with three other expedition members. The club's secretary general, Ayaz Shigri, confirmed the recovery to AFP.

“The rescue team on site found Nims Dai (Nirmal Purja) at approximately 5,700 metres on Broad Peak, a mountain he loved and that has taken him from us.”

Shigri added that rescuers confirmed the presence of another body at a significantly higher altitude, but said recovery was unlikely at this stage due to extremely dangerous terrain and current conditions. Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated on social media on Saturday that a fourth body brought down was Purja's, but Pakistani authorities did not confirm it, and AFP reported the same day that Purja was not among the remains recovered so far.

The expedition members

The 10-person team included Purja, five Nepali climbers (Pur Bahadur Gurung, Nima Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa), Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, American climber Mallory Geis, and Chinese climber Wang Zhong. Purja's company, Elite Exped, confirmed on Saturday that no member of the expedition had survived.

“It is with profound sadness that we confirm Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life in the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that the remaining members of the expedition unfortunately did not survive.”

Purja's career and reactions

Purja served 16 years in the British armed forces, first with the Brigade of Gurkhas and then in the Royal Marines' Special Boat Service. He gained global fame after climbing all 14 eight-thousanders in six months and six days between April and October 2019, a feat documented in the Netflix film "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible." In 2018, the late Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an MBE for his achievements in extreme high-altitude mountaineering. He lived in Hampshire, southern England, with his wife and three-year-old daughter.

Prince William said he was "sincerely saddened by the news of the tragic death" of Purja, who he said "served with distinction" in the military before becoming "one of the greatest mountaineers." UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting called the news "incredibly sad." Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the "tragic death of six Nepalis and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram range in Pakistan has shaken us."

Mountain conditions

Broad Peak is considered one of the most technically demanding eight-thousanders. Pakistani mountaineering expert Irfanullah Baig told SRF that climate change is increasing the frequency of avalanches, severe weather and rockfall. "Temperatures in the villages at the foot of the mountains are rising to 40 degrees. There is no longer a stable snow cover and the probability is high that snowmelt will trigger avalanches at any time," Baig said. The first ascent of Broad Peak was made by an Austrian team in 1957.