Mountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine others die in Pakistan avalanche, company confirms
Renowned climber Nirmal Purja died when an avalanche struck Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday. His company said all ten members of the expedition, including Purja, were killed.
Renowned mountaineer and former British Army soldier Nirmal Purja was killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday, his company has announced. Elite Expeditions said with "profound sadness and immense heartbreak" that it confirmed Purja's death and that the other nine expedition members also died.
Purja, 43, a Nepali-born climber, became known worldwide for scaling the world's 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019. A 2021 Netflix documentary, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, chronicled his achievement and brought him wider fame.
Pakistani officials previously said rescue teams had recovered the bodies of three climbers: American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal. Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah confirmed Purja's death, saying the loss of six Nepalese and four foreign climbers in Pakistan's Karakoram range had shocked the country. He added that their courage, dedication, and contributions would remain inspiring.
Rescue teams had been searching for the climbers on the world's 12th-highest mountain, which rises 8,047 metres (26,400ft). The multinational expedition was being led by Purja, who joined the British Army in 2003 and the Royal Navy's Special Boat Service in 2009.
Broad Peak is considered one of the more challenging mountains for climbers. The first successful ascent was in 1957, when an Austrian expedition reached the summit. Many climbers have reached the top since then, but dozens have died on the mountain. One of its deadliest years was 2013, when at least six fatalities were recorded.
