Bodies of Nirmal Purja and 6 Other Climbers Found After Avalanche in Pakistan
Theo Al Jazeera English
Pakistani rescue teams have recovered the bodies of seven climbers, including famed Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja, after an avalanche on Broad Peak. Three others remain missing, including a Pakistani guide. The expedition comprised climbers from five countries.
Rescue teams in Pakistan have recovered the bodies of seven climbers, including renowned Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja, on Broad Peak, where an avalanche buried an international expedition of ten people three days ago.
Three climbers remain missing, including a Pakistani guide who had planned this to be his final mountain trip.
The avalanche struck around midday Thursday on the 8,051-meter peak — the world's 12th-highest — in Pakistan's Karakoram range, one of the most unforgiving and remote areas in mountaineering.
Purja's death, confirmed by his expedition company on Saturday, sent shockwaves far beyond the climbing community.
Purja, 43, also known as "Nims Dai," was a former Gurkha soldier — Nepali fighters in the British Army. He became a special forces soldier and then rose to global fame in 2019 after conquering all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in 189 days — a record later chronicled in a Netflix documentary.
Seven bodies found, three still missing
Search teams located four bodies on Friday but could only bring down three due to bad weather grounding helicopters. The victims included Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung (nicknamed Yukta), Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, and American climber Mallory Geis.
On Sunday, a ground team reached the bodies of Purja and three others: Chinese climber Wang Zhong and two Nepali climbers, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa.
Still missing are Sohail Sakhi, a Pakistani guide and photographer who had planned to retire after this climb, and two others.
The search for remains in rugged, remote terrain is further complicated by Pakistan's limited long-range helicopter rescue capacity compared to neighboring Nepal.
The expedition included climbers from five countries: Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the United States, and China, reflecting the international allure of Broad Peak — one of the most demanding of the world's 14 highest mountains.
Tributes poured in from around the world. Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the climbers' courage, dedication, and contributions will always inspire, even though their physical journeys have ended.
Purja's expedition company, Elite Exped, remembered him as a leader who "inspired millions through his courage and humility."
Purja's record-breaking 2019 climb, later surpassed in 2023, turned him from a little-known name into one of the most prominent figures in mountaineering. Two years later, he joined the first winter ascent of Pakistan's K2, the world's second-highest peak, by an all-Nepali team.
Students and teachers gathered around his photo at Heaven Primary School in Nepal's Chitwan district on Sunday, lighting candles and laying flowers at the school where Purja studied for eight years before joining the Gurkhas.
