Mountaineer Nirmal Purja and team killed in Pakistan avalanche
Mountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine expedition members have died following an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan.
Mountaineering firm Elite Expeditions has confirmed that renowned Nepalese-born climber Nirmal Purja and nine members of his international expedition died in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak. The disaster struck the 8,047-metre Karakoram mountain on Thursday, severing communications with the group.
Pakistani search authorities initially recovered the bodies of three climbers—identified as individuals from Oman, Nepal, and the United States—before Elite Expeditions confirmed on Saturday that all ten expedition members had perished.
Purja, 43, a former British Royal Marine, achieved international fame in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in under seven months. Rescue teams in the region had mounted a multi-day search operation before the company officially confirmed the fatalities.
Sources: BBC News, FAZ, Sweden Herald
Sources
Earlier coverage
- Aug 2, 2026, 03:30 PM UTCMountaineering community mourns as Nirmal Purja confirmed dead in Pakistan avalanche
- Aug 1, 2026, 09:30 PM UTCMountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine others killed in Pakistan avalanche
- Aug 1, 2026, 07:00 PM UTCMountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine others confirmed dead after Pakistan avalanche
- Aug 1, 2026, 03:30 PM UTCClimber Nirmal Purja and nine others killed in Broad Peak avalanche
- Aug 1, 2026, 01:00 PM UTCMountaineer Nirmal Purja killed in Pakistan avalanche, company confirms
- Aug 1, 2026, 09:30 AM UTCSearch continues on Broad Peak for missing climbers following deadly avalanche
- Aug 1, 2026, 06:00 AM UTCTen climbers feared missing or dead following avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak