Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja has been confirmed dead after an avalanche swept his expedition on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan, his company Elite Expeditions announced on Saturday. The 43-year-old British-Nepali climber, celebrated for his record-breaking ascents, was leading a team of ten when the disaster struck on Thursday.
In a social media statement, Elite Expeditions expressed "profound sadness and immense heartbreak" in confirming Purja's death, adding that "other members of the expedition sadly did not survive." The company, which Purja founded, has not yet released the full list of casualties.
Rescuers have so far recovered the remains of three climbers—an American woman, an Omani woman, and a Nepali man—which were flown by helicopter to a hospital for formal identification, according to the regional government of Gilgit-Baltistan. The search operation, paused on Friday due to adverse weather, resumed on Saturday with military helicopters and high-altitude porters scouring the mountain.
A deadly mission on Broad Peak
The avalanche struck while the team was ascending at around 6,600 metres on Broad Peak (8,047 metres), a summit that has claimed many lives. Data from tracking devices indicated that the climbers were "thrown hundreds of metres down the mountainside," Naila Kiani of Pakistan's Alpine Club told Le Monde.
The expedition comprised ten members: Purja, five other Nepalis, a Pakistani, an Omani, an American, and a climber from China. Contact with base camp was lost on Thursday, triggering a large-scale rescue effort coordinated by the Pakistani army and local climbers.
Fida Ali, a climber who had worked closely with Purja since 2023, narrowly avoided the tragedy. He had initially joined the Broad Peak expedition but returned early to accompany a Russian climber suffering from exhaustion. "I wanted to go with him but couldn't and came back with her. I was part of the team but survived," he said.
Purja had been aiming to become the first person to climb all 14 "super peaks" (mountains above 8,000 metres) twice without supplemental oxygen. He had already completed the first round in a record six months and six days in 2019, a feat that brought him international fame. Days before the avalanche, he wrote on X: "Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down."
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the global climbing community. Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah offered condolences, saying the deaths "has shocked us" and praising the climbers' "courage, dedication, and contributions."
Broad Peak, part of the Karakoram range, is notorious for its technical difficulty and unpredictable weather. The avalanche risk in the region has been heightened by recent snowfall and unstable conditions, a reminder of the perils that even the most experienced mountaineers face.
As the rescue operation continues, the focus now shifts to recovering the remaining bodies and supporting the families of the victims. The loss of Purja, a figure who inspired many with his daring feats, marks a sombre moment for the sport. His legacy, however, will endure in the records he set and the lives he touched.
