The famous Nepalese climber Nirmal Purja, who also has British citizenship, and the other nine members of an expedition that attempted to climb Broad Peak in Pakistan, were hit by an avalanche and died, and rescue teams are trying to remove their bodies, Purja's company "Elite Expeditions" announced today, quoted by the Associated Press, BTA reported.
"The world has lost one of its greatest climbers", the company said in a statement. The sad news was also confirmed by the vice-president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Karar Haidri. "This is devastating news for all of us. "We express our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased climbers," Haidri said.
The ten-member expedition was hit by an avalanche on Thursday. Contact with the group was lost at that time. On Friday, rescuers found four bodies and managed to extract three of them despite severe weather conditions that prevented rescue helicopters from flying. The search operation was resumed today with the participation of military helicopters to find the remaining climbers.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the expedition included five Nepalese climbers, climbers from Oman and the United States, Pakistani Sohail Sahi, a Chinese climber identified only by his surname Wang, and another foreigner whose identity has not yet been released.
The expedition was led by world-renowned climber Nirmal Purja, a Nepalese-born former British Army soldier. In 2019, he climbed all 14 eight-thousanders in the world in a record 189 days - an achievement that Netflix has credited with dedicated his 2021 documentary "14 Summits: Nothing is Impossible".
In 2023, Purja's record was improved.
Late last month, the Pakistan-based travel company "Moving Mountains" announced that the expedition had headed to the town of Askole and wished the participants a successful and safe climb to Broad Peak, the AP notes.