Famed climber Purja confirmed dead as bodies recovered from Broad Peak

Renowned Nepal-born mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who set a record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains, is among the climbers who died in an avalanche during an expedition in Pakistan.

“Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” his company, Elite Expeditions, said on social media on Saturday.

“We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive,” it added, without giving details.

Purja, 43, was leading the group of 10 climbers on the 8,051-metre (26,414-foot) Broad Peak in northern Pakistan when an avalanche struck on Thursday and the group was reported missing.

Broad Peak is the world’s 12th highest mountain, a technically difficult climb in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Earlier, Pakistani officials said rescuers had found four bodies and recovered three of them on Friday in harsh weather that hampered flights by search and rescue helicopters.

The regional Gilgt-Baltistan government identified the three as Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy and American climber Mallory Geis.

Al Harthy was the first Omani woman to summit Mount Everest.

The expedition comprised five Nepali climbers, the Omani and American climbers, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and one other foreign climber, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, which first reported the group missing.

Expedition leader Purja is a Nepal-born former soldier in the British army widely known as Nims Dai.

He climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement featured in the Netflix documentary, 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible. His record was surpassed in 2023.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah offered his condolences over the “tragic” deaths of Purja and the other climbers, which he said “has shocked us”.

“The physical journey of all the deceased climbers … has been interrupted, but the history of their courage, dedication, and contributions will always remain inspiring,” Shah said in a statement on social media.

The 10 climbers were swept away in an avalanche at about midday on Thursday.

The area in which the search was taking place is “remote and difficult”, said Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the tourism department in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Of the world’s 14 highest peaks, eight are in Nepal, five in Pakistan and one in Tibet. Climbing experts say barely more than three dozen mountaineers have climbed all 14 peaks to date. Broad Peak is considered one of Pakistan’s most challenging climbs.

Nepal’s Gurung, known to his friends as Yukta, climbed Everest more times than anyone else from the Gurung community, with 10 successful ascents to his name, Nepal’s Online Khabar noted. He also successfully climbed 12 of the world’s 8,000-metre (26,246ft) peaks.

Yukta had also set a record by summiting Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second-highest peak, within 24 hours. He was regularly involved in rescue operations for tourists stranded in the mountains.

Oman’s Al Harthy held a master’s degree in geography and previously served as director of the Citizenship Department at Oman’s Ministry of Education, Gulf News reported. In 2019, she became the first Omani woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and then the first Omani to climb K2, the world’s second-highest mountain.

For the US’s Geis, it was her first try at an 8,000-metre peak in Pakistan.

Geis, 39, lived in San Antonio. She announced 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. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”