KATHMANDU, JULY 31
Search-and-rescue efforts intensified on Pakistan's Broad Peak on Friday after an avalanche struck an international expedition during a summit push, with four bodies recovered while six climbers, including renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja "Nims Dai", remained missing.
According to the latest information available late Friday, the bodies of four climbers have been recovered from the 8,047-metre Karakoram peak. Two of them have been identified as Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung "Yukta" and Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, and their bodies have been transported to Skardu. The identities of the remaining two bodies have not yet been officially confirmed. Rescue teams have reportedly spotted four more bodies through drone surveillance, although this has yet to be officially verified.
Helicopters and ground rescue teams continued search operations throughout the day under challenging weather and terrain conditions.
The avalanche struck the 10-member international expedition on Thursday while the team was climbing from Camp II to Camp III for a summit attempt. Contact with all climbers was lost immediately after the avalanche, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
Those still unaccounted for include Nepali climbers Nirmal Purja, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa, along with Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan, Mallory Geis of the United States and Wang Zhong of China.
Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Embassy in Islamabad was coordinating with the Government of Pakistan and the Alpine Club of Pakistan, while Pakistani authorities have assured Nepal that all available resources are being mobilised for the search-and-rescue mission.
The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has issued a statement expressing deep concern over the incident and voicing hope for the safe recovery of all those affected. According to the association's First Vice-President, Mingma David Sherpa, a rescue helicopter accompanied by local high-altitude climbing guides has already been deployed to the affected area, and search-and-rescue operations are currently underway. The NMA extended its full support to the climbers, their families, expedition teams, and rescue personnel, expressing optimism that everyone would soon be reunited with their loved ones.
On Friday, the association also ramped up diplomatic efforts. A delegation led by acting president Ishwori Poudel met with Pakistan's Ambassador to Nepal, Mohammad Amir Khan, to request that the rescue operation be given the highest priority. In response, the ambassador assured that Pakistan's government, the Alpine Club of Pakistan, and local rescue agencies were conducting search operations on a war footing, and that every possible effort was being made to locate the missing climbers. The NMA has stated that it will continue coordinating with all relevant authorities until the operation is concluded.
The Expedition Operators' Association Nepal (EOA-Nepal) has also urged the government to intensify diplomatic engagement with Pakistan and ensure close coordination among all concerned agencies to support the rescue mission.
The incident 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 climb brought him within one summit of completing his ambitious Hat-Trick Project-climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre mountains three times while also completing the Seven Summits three times.