World7 min(s) read
Published 10:52 31 Jul 2026 GMT
Rescue crews on Pakistan's Broad Peak have found four bodies after an avalanche struck a group of 10 international climbers on Thursday.
Six remain missing, and among them is Nirmal Purja, the Nepal-born British mountaineer whose 2019 record-breaking ascent of all 14 of the world's highest peaks was the subject of the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.
The identities of the four who have been found have not been confirmed. Search and rescue operations are continuing despite severe weather conditions on the mountain.
Three days before the avalanche, Purja posted on X: "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."
The avalanche hit around midday on Thursday, July 30, on Broad Peak, an 8,047-metre mountain in the Karakoram Range near the Chinese border, roughly five miles from K2. It is the world's 12th highest peak.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan received initial reports of the avalanche and confirmed the 10 climbers had been out of communication since.
"The Alpine Club of Pakistan has received deeply concerning reports of an avalanche that struck a team of climbers on Broad Peak in the Karakoram mountain range," Vice President Karrar Haidri said in a statement.
But there was a significant delay before anyone raised the alarm.
According to ExplorersWeb, the avalanche occurred around 9:20am local time.
No alert went out until almost 13 hours later, at roughly 10pm.
"We only found out at 10pm," Naila Kiani of the Alpine Club told ExplorersWeb. An entire day when helicopters could have reached the site before dark was lost.
ExplorersWeb noted that four separate climbing teams were on the mountain at the time, all with staff at Base Camp, making the delay difficult to explain.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan has named all 10 members of the expedition:
Nirmal "Nims Dai" Purja, 43, Nepal-born British mountaineer and expedition leader.
Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, and Nawang Thindu Sherpa, all Nepali climbers. Sohail Sakhi, a Pakistani mountaineer from Hunza. Wang Zhong, a Chinese climber.
Mallory Geis, an American climber and wellness entrepreneur on her first attempt at an 8,000-metre peak in Pakistan. Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy, an Omani climber.
Moving Mountains, the Pakistan-based travel company coordinating logistics for the expedition, had posted on social media late last month wishing the team a safe journey as they set off from Askole towards Base Camp.
The company noted that it was expected to be Sakhi's final 8,000-metre climb.
Not yet.
Irfan Arshad Khan, President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed on Friday that ground rescue teams had located four bodies. Efforts to retrieve them were underway despite harsh weather.
"Search and rescue operations remain ongoing, and we urge the public to await verified updates before drawing conclusions," the Alpine Club said in a separate statement.
"The Alpine Club of Pakistan extends its continued thoughts to the climbers and their families during this difficult time."
The four bodies have not been publicly identified at the time of writing. Six climbers remain unaccounted for.
Pakistan has deployed army helicopters, drones, and ground teams to the search area. Nepal's ambassador to Pakistan, Rita Dhital, confirmed the mobilisation.
Officials have cautioned that rescue operations in Pakistan's mountains generally take longer than in Nepal because helicopter deployments are controlled through military channels and require multiple clearances.
Earlier on Friday, before the bodies were found, there had been a brief moment of hope.
Purja's business partner and Nepal MP Mingma Gyaby Sherpa said the tracking device Purja was carrying had shown movement after the avalanche.
"Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions," Sherpa said.
A spokesperson for Purja's foundation Nimsdai told CNN its "immediate priority is the safety" of the missing climbers and that it was in contact with authorities.
Nirmal Purja, widely known as Nims Dai, is a 43-year-old mountaineer born in Nepal who holds British citizenship.
He spent 16 years in the British Army, first in the Brigade of Gurkhas and later in the Special Boat Service, an elite unit of the Royal Navy.
His mountaineering career began in 2012 after a trek to Everest Base Camp. Rather than turning back as originally planned, he decided to continue towards the summit. From there, things escalated fast.
In 2019, he climbed all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 metres in 189 days, smashing the previous record of nearly eight years.
The achievement was chronicled in 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible, which became one of the most-watched documentaries on Netflix after its release in 2021.
His record was surpassed in 2023 by Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila and her Nepali Sherpa guide, Tenjen Lama Sherpa, who completed the 14 peaks in 92 days.
Purja was on Broad Peak as part of an attempt to become the first person in history to climb all 14 8,000-metre peaks twice.
He had planned to climb Broad Peak and then move on to Cho Oyu, the world's sixth-highest mountain in the Himalayas, to complete the goal.
Mallory Geis is an American climber and wellness entrepreneur.
This was her first attempt at an 8,000-metre peak in Pakistan. She was climbing with Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, who was acting as her guide. CNN has reported that it has reached out to the US State Department regarding Geis.
Broad Peak was first climbed in the summer of 1957 by an Austrian team. It is one of the 14 "8,000ers" and has a long history of fatalities, particularly on descent and in winter conditions.
In 2013, a Polish team summited Broad Peak in winter but two members went missing on the descent and were later declared dead.
In 2021, South Korean climber Kim Hong Bin fell into a crevasse and disappeared after reaching the summit.
The same year, Russian-American climber Alex Goldfarb was found dead after pushing on alone when his partner urged him to turn back in dangerous conditions.
In 2022, RAF Wing Commander Gordon Henderson was reported missing and believed killed during a British services expedition to the mountain.
Pakistan is home to five of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 metres.
Climbers flock to the country each summer for the brief window when conditions allow attempts on K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, and the two Gasherbrum summits.
Officials do not list missing climbers as dead until their bodies have been recovered.
The search continues. Weather conditions on Friday have been described as harsh, with rescue teams working in difficult visibility. The Alpine Club has urged the public to wait for verified updates.
If the four bodies are retrieved and identified, the focus will shift to the remaining six. Whether any of them survived the avalanche and the 24 hours that followed, at altitude, in freezing conditions, without communication, remains unknown.
Purja's tracking device showed movement after the avalanche. Whether that movement was his, or the device being carried by snowfall, has not been confirmed.
