Mountaineer Nirmal Purja among 10 confirmed dead after gone missing in Broad Peak avalanche

Renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal "Nimsdai" Purja and nine other climbers have been confirmed dead after an avalanche struck their expedition on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram mountain range, expedition organizer Elite Exped announced on Saturday (August 2).

Purja, 43, gained global recognition after setting a record by climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in just 189 days in 2019.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Elite Exped said it had confirmed that Purja died in the avalanche and that none of the other expedition members survived.

"It is with profound sorrow and immeasurable grief that we confirm Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja tragically lost his life in an avalanche on Broad Peak," the company said. "We have also confirmed that the remaining members of the expedition did not survive."

The expedition was struck by an avalanche on Thursday afternoon while attempting to climb the 8,051-metre Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain, located a few kilometres from K2 in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region.Contact with the team was lost immediately after the incident.

Pakistan's military dispatched two rescue helicopters on Friday morning, while experienced high-altitude porters and rescue personnel launched a ground search operation. The mission later confirmed there were no survivors.

Among those killed were Mallory Gays of the United States, Nadira Al-Harthi of Oman, Nepali climbers Pur Bahadur Gurung ("Yukta") and Nima Sherpa, as well as Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi and a Chinese national.

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah also confirmed the deaths of the Nepali climbers in a social media post. Several recovered bodies have since been transported by helicopter to hospitals in Pakistan.

A former member of the British Army's Gurkha Regiment, Purja became one of the world's most celebrated mountaineers after completing all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in record time. Although that record was surpassed in 2023, his achievement brought him international acclaim.




His global profile grew further following the release of the 2021 Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," which chronicled his record-breaking expedition.

Purja also made history in January 2021 as part of a 10-member Nepali team that completed the first-ever successful winter ascent of K2, the world's second-highest mountain.

Before the Broad Peak expedition, Purja had planned to climb Cho Oyu, aiming to become the first person to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks twice.

Before leaving for the expedition, he wrote on social media: "I never underestimate any mountain. Not one. From the moment I leave base camp, it's 100 percent commitment. It always has been, and it always will be."

The tragedy is one of the deadliest mountaineering disasters in Pakistan in recent years. The country's worst modern climbing accident occurred in 2008, when 11 climbers were killed in an avalanche on K2.