Four bodies recovered after group including top mountaineer Nirmal Purja missing in avalanche
Search Operations Continue for Mountaineers Lost in Pakistan Avalanche
Activelifezero.com – Rescue teams are actively searching for a group of climbers who vanished after an avalanche swept through the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. Among those missing is Nirmal Purja, a globally recognized mountaineer whose achievements have earned him international acclaim. The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that emergency personnel on the ground and in helicopters are combing the area for the ten climbers who were on the 8,047-meter-tall Broad Peak when the disaster struck around midday on Thursday.
Ground teams have successfully recovered four bodies so far, though none have been formally identified yet. Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club, provided this update to media outlets. According to Alpine Club general secretary Ayaz Ahmed Shigri, GPS signals are currently being received from four of the missing climbers, offering hope that they may still be alive. The weather conditions on Friday morning were reported as clear, with forecasts indicating these favorable conditions would persist through the weekend.
Members of the Expedition
The missing group comprised climbers from multiple nations. Alongside 43-year-old Purja and American climber Mallory Geis, the team included members from Oman, Pakistan, and Nepal. CNN has contacted the US State Department regarding the situation. None of the climbers have been heard from since the avalanche occurred. The Alpine Club has been coordinating efforts to locate all ten individuals.
Purja’s Remarkable Mountaineering Legacy
Nirmal Purja, widely known by his nickname “Nims,” achieved a historic milestone in 2019 by ascending all fourteen of the world’s peaks exceeding 8,000 meters within just over six months. This extraordinary accomplishment was documented in the popular Netflix series titled “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.” His journey began in 2012 when he trekked to Everest Base Camp, an experience that ignited his deep passion for mountain climbing, according to his foundation’s website, Nimsdai, which provides support to mountain communities throughout Nepal.
Before dedicating himself fully to mountaineering, Purja served sixteen years in the British army. His military career included service with the Brigade of Gurkhas and later the Special Boat Service, which stands as an elite unit within the UK’s Royal Navy. In 2018, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, recognizing both his military contributions and mountaineering accomplishments. A spokesperson for Nimsdai informed CNN that the foundation is currently in contact with authorities, with the immediate priority being the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in the expedition.
Breaking Records and Setting New Standards
Purja departed on his record-breaking journey to summit all fourteen highest peaks in April 2019, completing the challenge 189 days later in October. This achievement shattered the previous record established by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho in 2013 by more than seven years. During his expeditions, Purja and his team conducted numerous daring rescues, frequently risking their own lives to save others. He described his remarkable feat to CNN as an “extremely, horrendously good experience,” even though his oxygen supply was stolen while climbing Lhotse, which ranks as Earth’s fourth-highest peak.
The speed record for summiting the world’s tallest peaks was surpassed once again in 2023. Norwegian woman Kristin Harila and Nepali man Tenjin Sherpa completed all fourteen peaks in just three months and one day. Additionally, in 2024, Purja became the fastest individual to summit all fourteen peaks without using supplementary oxygen.
Broader Impact and Future Plans
Purja brought worldwide attention to the problem of overcrowding on Mount Everest. During his 2019 summit, he captured and shared a photograph showing what appeared to be a “traffic jam” on the upper slopes of the world’s highest mountain. The images generated significant backlash, prompting the Nepalese government to develop new climbing regulations.
Summiting even a single “8,000er” presents considerable challenges, as climbers must navigate the “death zone”—a mountaineering term describing altitudes above approximately 8,000 meters where the human body receives insufficient oxygen. Broad Peak, ranked as the twelfth-tallest mountain globally, is regarded as somewhat less technically demanding than other peaks like its famous neighbor K2, yet it remains susceptible to harsh and unpredictable weather patterns. In 2013, three Iranian climbers perished during their descent after reaching the summit of Broad Peak. Pakistan experienced its worst modern mountaineering tragedy in 2008, when an avalanche on K2 claimed the lives of eleven climbers.
Following his ascent of Broad Peak, Purja intended to climb Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest mountain situated in the Himalayas. This next objective would make him the first person in history to successfully climb all fourteen “8,000ers” twice. On his X account on Monday, he wrote: “Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted. Not one. The moment my foot leaves basecamp, it’s 100%. Always has been. Always will be.”
CNN’s Sophia Saifi in Islamabad contributed reporting to this article.
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