Bodies of Renowned Climber Nirmal Purja and Three Others Recovered After Broad Peak Avalanche

Pakistani rescue officials confirmed Sunday that the remains of celebrated mountaineer Nirmal Purja and three fellow climbers have been located by ground personnel on Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain. An avalanche swept through a 10-member international climbing expedition on the peak, with recovery efforts hampered by severe weather conditions.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan identified the four recovered climbers as Purja, along with Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa. Rescue teams had previously retrieved three additional bodies — Nathira Ahmed of Oman, American climber Mallory Geis and Nepalese guide Bahadur Gurung — though helicopter operations were suspended due to hazardous conditions.

Military-led search operations resumed Sunday as rescue personnel worked to evacuate the newly found remains and continued hunting for two missing climbers from the expedition. Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, an expedition member and geographer, remained unaccounted for as of Sunday evening.

Purja, a Nepal-born former British Army officer known as Nims Dai, led the expedition and garnered international recognition in 2019 for summiting all 14 peaks above 26,000 feet in just 189 days. Netflix documented his achievement in the film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” though his record was surpassed in 2023.

Purja’s expedition company mourned his loss as a transformative figure in mountaineering. Geis’s family described her as “a bright light who was loved deeply,” expressing deep sorrow at her death.

Alpine Club of Pakistan President Irfan Arshad Khan called the disaster “an immeasurable loss to the global mountaineering fraternity,” commending the military, civilian rescuers and Sherpa guides involved in recovery operations. The northern Pakistan region regularly experiences climbing fatalities stemming from avalanches, falling debris, severe altitude effects and unpredictable weather patterns.