Mountaineer Nirmal Purja killed with all members of expedition in Pakistan avalanche
Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja died with other team members in a powerful avalanche in Pakistan, his climbing company confirmed on Saturday, after rescuers recovered the remains of three climbers from the 10-strong expedition during a high-altitude search.
Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja has been confirmed dead in an avalanche accident in Pakistan, his climbing company Elite Expeditions said in a social media post on Saturday.
The avalanche struck on Thursday, cutting off contact with the international expedition led by 43-year-old British-Nepali climber Purja on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan.
"It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak," Purja's company Elite Expeditions said on social media.
"We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive," it added.
The remains recovered so far, flown by helicopter to a hospital for formal identification, included an American woman, an Omani woman and a Nepali man, the regional government said in a statement released on Friday night.
Lost contact since Thursday
The team lost contact with their base camp Thursday after an avalanche struck Broad Peak as they attempted to scale the mountain, said Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan on Friday.
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.
Police in the mountainous northern Gilgit-Baltistan region said in a statement that high-altitude porters and rescue teams were carrying out a second day of the operation on Saturday after the search was paused due to difficult weather conditions a day earlier.
Rescuers and military helicopters had been scouring the area and teams stayed at the base camp overnight, according to the regional government.
"The rescue operation is being conducted under extremely challenging terrain and high-altitude weather conditions by the Pakistani army in coordination with local high-altitude climbers and rescuers," it said.
Powerful avalanche
The avalanche struck while the mountaineers were on a mission to summit Broad Peak 8,047 metres on Thursday and while the team was ascending at an altitude of around 6,600 metres, according to regional authorities.
The expedition comprised 10 people, including Purja, five Nepalis, a Pakistani, an Omani, an American, and a climber from China.
"Data from their tracking devices indicates that they were thrown hundreds of metres down the mountainside," Naila Kiani, from Pakistan's Alpine Club, told Le Monde newspaper.
Fida Ali, a climber in the area who worked closely with Purja since 2023, said their focus for the climbing season was summiting Broad Peak, but they had first tackled another mountain, G2, in harsh weather.
Ali also joined the expedition to Broad Peak in its initial stages but returned early to accompany a Russian climber who was feeling the effects of exhaustion - narrowly avoiding the fatal avalanche.
"I wanted to go with him (Purja) but couldn't and came back with her. I was part of the team but survived," he said.
Record high peaks climb
Purja had written on X this week that he was close to becoming the first person to climb all 14 "super peaks" twice without oxygen.
"Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down," he wrote.
He had climbed all 14 "eight-thousanders" (peaks above 8,000 metres) in six months and six days between April and October 2019, then a record.
Broad Peak is the world's 12th highest mountain, located in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan, and is regarded as one of the toughest and most technical climbs of all the 8,000-metre-plus ascents.
Rescuers recover climber Nirmal Purja's
body after avalanche disaster
Skardu (Pakistan) (AFP) – Rescuers recovered the body of renowned climber Nirmal Purja on Sunday after an avalanche killed him and nine team members on one of the world's highest peaks in northern Pakistan, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.
Issued on: 02/08/2026 - RFI
Rescuers have recovered the body of renowned climber Nirmal Purja, who was killed along with nine team members in a powerful avalanche in northern Pakistan this week, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said © Aamir QURESHI / AFP
The avalanche struck on Thursday, cutting off contact with the international expedition led by Purja, a 43-year-old British-Nepali climber, on Broad Peak.
"The ground rescue team has reached Nims Dai (Purja) at approximately 5,700m on Broad Peak -- a mountain he loved, and a mountain that has now taken him from us," the club posted on social media.
The club's general secretary Ayaz Shigri said a ground rescue team was transporting four bodies -- including those of Purja, two other Nepali nationals and a Chinese citizen -- down from the mountain.
"Rescuers have also confirmed the presence of one additional body at a significantly higher elevation," he said in a statement.
"Due to the extremely hazardous terrain and prevailing conditions, it is unlikely that a recovery attempt will be made at this stage," he added.
Purja's expedition company confirmed on Saturday that no team members had survived.
Regional authorities said the remains of three climbers -- an Omani woman, a Nepali man and an American woman -- had been recovered and flown to the city of Skardu on Friday.
The avalanche has sparked an outpouring of shock in the mountaineering community, especially in Nepal, and leaders including Britain's Prince William have expressed condolences to the families of the climbers.
'Unthinkable loss'
Purja, who served with Britain's Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines, broke multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and tour guide.
"Nims (Purja) served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world's greatest mountaineers, putting Nepalese climbers on the map," Prince William posted on X, saying he was "truly saddened" by the loss of life.
Purja had written on X on Monday that he was close to becoming the first person to climb all 14 "super peaks" twice without oxygen.
"Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down," he wrote.
Rescuers have been scouring the difficult, high-altitude mountainside for days by air and ground after contact was lost with the team on Thursday.
"My loving brothers... We will take you back home to see (your) families," Mingma G Sherpa, a mountaineer involved in rescue posted on Instagram on Saturday.
Messages of grief poured out after the confirmation that none of the team had survived.
"This is an unthinkable loss for our mountaineering community and for the nation," Fur Gelje Sherpa, the President of Nepal's mountaineering association posted on social media.
"He was keen on making Nepal recognized in the world and developing our mountaineering sector."
Broad Peak is the world's 12th highest mountain, located in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan, and is regarded as one of the toughest and most technical climbs of all the 8,000-metre-plus ascents.
It was first summited in 1957 by an Austrian team.
© 2026 AFP
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