Renowned climber Nirmal Purja and nine other expedition members died following an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. Elite Exped confirmed the fatalities as rescue teams recovered bodies from the mountain, marking a devastating loss for the global mountaineering community.
Tragedy Strikes Broad Peak as Avalanche Sweeps Expedition
A deadly avalanche struck Pakistan’s Broad Peak when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday. The disaster claimed the lives of mountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine other members of his team on the world’s 12th-highest mountain, leading to an 11-person total group count or a 10-member expedition mentioned in official accounts. The world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member had been leading an expedition of 10 other people.
From Instagram — related to nirmal purja nine climbers, Broad Peak
Rescue operations faced severe impediments due to harsh weather conditions that hampered flights by search and rescue helicopters on Friday. Rescuers found four bodies and recovered three of them Friday. Rescuers backed by military helicopters had resumed a search earlier on Saturday for the others as search teams tried to recover their bodies.
Victims Identified Across Multiple Nations
The expedition included five Nepali climbers, as well as US, Pakistani, Omani and Chinese nationals. Elite Exped, the company Purja co-founded, stated in a release: Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. The company added: We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive.
Nirmal Purja Death LIVE: Broad Peak Avalanche Kills Nirmal Purja and Nine Climbers
The company further stated in another announcement: The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers, stressing that it mourned all the lives lost and adding: No words can ease the pain of this unimaginable loss. Earlier on Saturday, a local police official, Tahir Khan, provided details on the unfolding recovery efforts.
Tributes Pour in for Nirmal Purja and Global Climbing Fraternity
The mountaineering world mourned the loss of Nirmal Purja, who made history in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world’s peaks over 8,000 metres in just over six months, specifically achieving the feat in a record-breaking 189 days. He later led the first team to summit K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in winter.
Photo: Apnews
“Records are made to be broken,” the former Gurkha and UKSF member told the Guardian in 2019. “Someone one day will come along and be stronger. People are only limited by their imagination. If you don’t dream, then you won’t do it. Human beings are capable of doing amazing things.”
Nirmal Purja
Irfan Arshad Khan, the president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, spoke on the broader implications of the accident.
“The loss of these courageous climbers, who came from different nations united by their passion for the mountains, is an immeasurable loss to the global mountaineering fraternity,”
Photo: The Guardian
Irfan Arshad Khan, President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan
Irfan Arshad Khan also paid tribute to the military and civilian rescuers and sherpas who took part in the search mission. He noted:
“The mountains inspire us with their beauty, but they also remind us of the immense risks faced by those who venture into the high Himalaya and Karakoram.”
Irfan Arshad Khan
Photographs released by the Alpine Club of Pakistan on Friday, July 31, 2026, documented members of a mountaineers rescue team preparing to depart from an airbase on a search operation for climbers missing after the avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak in Skardu, located in Gilgit-Baltistan’s region in northern Pakistan. Additional images showed members posing for photos with the honorary general secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Ayaz Ahmed Shigri, before departing on the mission.
