Four bodies have been recovered from Broad Peak in Pakistan after an avalanche struck a climbing expedition, leaving 10 mountaineers missing, including the internationally renowned climber Nirmal Purja. The search-and-rescue operation continues under difficult conditions in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, where severe weather has significantly hampered helicopter flights.
The climbers lost contact with their base camp on Thursday while attempting to scale the mountain. Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed that the team has been out of communication since then, prompting the deployment of army helicopters to assist in the search efforts.
Gilgit-Baltistan's Chief Minister, Amjad Hussain, stated on Friday that adverse weather conditions have continued to challenge the rescue operations. Despite these obstacles, a spokesperson for the regional police announced in a statement on Facebook that "preliminary reports indicate that four bodies have so far been recovered."
The expedition was led by the 43-year-old Purja, a Nepal-born former British army soldier widely known as "Nims Dai." Purja gained global acclaim in 2019 when he climbed the world's 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days, an extraordinary feat featured in the Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible." While his speed record was surpassed in 2023, he remains one of the most prominent figures in modern mountaineering.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the missing expedition consists of five Nepali climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and another foreign climber. On Friday, the Chinese government stated it was working to verify whether any of its nationals were among the missing team members.
The group departed late last month, traveling toward the small town of Askole, according to Moving Mountains, a Pakistan-based travel company that wished them a safe journey. The company noted that this expedition was the first attempt at an 8,000-meter (26,000-foot) peak for Geis, a 39-year-old resident of San Antonio. Geis had shared on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take "a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes," adding, "I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved."
In contrast, the climb was expected to be the final 8,000-meter expedition for Sakhi. A guide for Moving Mountains, Sakhi is also a geographer and high-altitude photographer who has successfully summitted several of the world's major peaks.
Broad Peak stands at 26,401 feet, making it the world's 12th-highest mountain. It is located in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan, which is home to five of the world's 14 peaks that exceed 26,000 feet. The region regularly attracts elite mountaineers from around the globe, but rapidly changing weather conditions and avalanches make accidents a frequent hazard during climbing expeditions.
On Friday, China's government said it was trying to verify whether any of its nationals were among the 10 missing.
