Mountaineer Nirmal Purja among those feared missing after avalanche hit Broad Peak, Pakistan alpine club says.
Published On ۳۱ Jul ۲۰۲۶۳۱ Jul ۲۰۲۶
Ten climbers, led by renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, are feared missing after an avalanche in northern Pakistan where they were on a climbing expedition, the country’s alpine club said.
“The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) has received deeply concerning reports of an avalanche that struck a team of climbers on Broad Peak (۸,۰۴۷m) in the Karakoram mountain range,” the club said late on Thursday, adding that the team was led by Purja and could not be reached since the incident.
Broad Peak is the ۱۲th-highest mountain in the world.
The ACP said the expedition comprises ۱۰ people, including five from Nepal, one from Pakistan, one from Oman, one from China, one from the United States, and another foreign climber whose nationality it did not disclose.
“The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche,” the club said.
“Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions,” it added.
Purja, ۴۳, also known as Nims Dai, has broken multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and tour guide in ۲۰۱۸, after leaving the British military.
He climbed all ۱۴ “eight-thousanders” (peaks above ۸,۰۰۰ metres, or ۲۶,۰۰۰ feet) in six months and six days between April and October ۲۰۱۹, a record at the time.
In ۲۰۲۱, Purja completed the first winter ascent of K۲ as part of a team of nine other Nepalese climbers.
