KATHMANDU, AUGUST 1 Renowned Nepali-born British mountaineer Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja has been confirmed dead after an avalanche claimed the lives of several climbers on Pakistan's Broad Peak, his company, Elite Exped, announced on Saturday. Purja, 43, was leading a 10-member international expedition when the avalanche struck the 8,047-metre peak on Thursday, July 30, sweeping climbers down the mountain's west-facing gully. Elite Exped in the social media confirmed that the avalanche claimed the lives of Purja and his trusted climbing partners Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa. The company also said other members of the expedition had not survived, while Pakistani authorities were continuing recovery and identification efforts. In its tribute, Elite Exped described Purja as one of mountaineering's greatest climbers whose courage, leadership and determination inspired millions worldwide. It said his legacy would live on through the lives he touched and the organisations he built, including Elite Exped and the Nimsdai Foundation. The avalanche hit the team as climbers were ascending from Camp II to Camp III, severing contact with the entire expedition. On Friday, rescuers recovered four bodies from the mountain, two of which were identified as Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung 'Yukta' and Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy. At the time, Purja, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, Pakistan's Sohail Sakhi, Mallory Geis of the United States and Wang Zhong of China remained missing. Subsequent recovery and identification efforts led Elite Exped to confirm the deaths of Purja and his Sherpa teammates Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nima Sherpa. Search operations resumed on Saturday after being suspended for a day due to severe weather and heavy snowfall. The Gilgit-Baltistan Administration said improved conditions had allowed helicopter sorties and ground search missions to continue, with additional Sherpa rescue teams joining the operation. A three-member rescue team led by Nepal Mountaineering Association First Vice-President Mingma David Sherpa arrived in Pakistan to assist in the search, while a support team from the United Kingdom was expected to join shortly. The operation also involves Pakistan Army personnel, high-altitude rescue teams and veteran climbers. Ground teams led by renowned Nepali mountaineer Mingma Gyalje Sherpa (Mingma G) and Pakistani climber Sirbaz Khan have headed to locations identified through drone reconnaissance. According to Pakistani climber Naila Kiani, rescuers will first assess the avalanche zone to ensure it is safe from further slides before attempting any recovery. The Government of Nepal, through its Embassy in Islamabad, has been coordinating closely with Pakistani authorities and the Alpine Club of Pakistan, while the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Expedition Operators' Association Nepal have urged that every possible resource be mobilised for the mission. The tragedy occurred just days after Purja summited Pakistan's Gasherbrum II on July 22, recording his 57th successful ascent of an 8,000-metre peak. The achievement had left him just one summit short of completing his ambitious Hat-Trick Project-climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks three times while also completing the Seven Summits three times.