No Survivors in Broad Peak Avalanche as Mountaineering Legend and Expedition Members Perish

Elite Expedition confirmed that mountaineering legend Nirmal Purja and all other expedition members tragically died following an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan.

Tragic Confirmation from Elite Expedition

“With profound sadness, we confirm that Nirmal Purja tragically died in the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that the other members of the expedition unfortunately did not survive,” Elite Expedition stated.

Search and Recovery Operations

On Friday, Pakistani rescue services searching for the 10 missing climbers following the avalanche on Broad Peak located the bodies of four of them. The Pakistani Alpine Club reported that the remaining bodies were tracked down using drones, and sherpas set out for the indicated locations on Saturday morning.

Repatriation of Victims

Pakistani police announced that three of the four recovered bodies were brought down from Broad Peak. The remains of Omani national Nathira Al Harthy were sent to Islamabad, while the bodies of American Mallory Geis and Nepalese national Bahadur Gurung remain in a hospital in Skardu, the largest city in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

According to Reuters, the climbers were likely swept away by an avalanche on the eight-thousander on Thursday around noon.

Record-Breaking Feat of “Nims”

The expedition was led by Nirmal Purja, who in 2019 climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record time of 189 days. This feat was captured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.” “Nims’s” record was broken in 2023.

According to the Pakistani Alpine Club, nine other climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the USA, and China participated in the expedition alongside Nirmal Purja.

About Broad Peak

Broad Peak is the 12th highest mountain in the world at 8,047 meters above sea level. It lies on the border of China and Pakistan in the Pakistani Karakoram range, which contains five of the 14 eight-thousanders. (PAP)