- Four bodies recovered, six climbers missing after avalanche.
- .Nirmal Purja, famous Nepali mountaineer, among missing.
- Pakistan Army conducting search and rescue operations.
Four bodies have been recovered, and at least 6 climbers, including renowned Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja, are missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan. The identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed yet. According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the avalanche hit the expedition on Thursday on the 8,047-meter peak in the Karakoram Range, the Associated Press reported.
Here are the significant points about the Avalanche:
- The missing individuals include five climbers from Nepal, identified as Purja, Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, and Gyalu Sherpa.
-The remaining climbers were identified as Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, Sakhi from Pakistan, Wang Zhong from China, and Mallory Geis from the US.
- Two Pakistan Army Aviation rescue helicopters, carrying rescue personnel and additional specialised equipment, had been dispatched to support the ongoing search and rescue operation, ACP Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri said.
- Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain, Advocate, instructed all relevant departments to remain on high alert and expedite the search and rescue operation in coordination with the Pakistan Army. He directed to utilise all available resources to ensure the climbers' safety.
-Purja, 43, has served with Britain's Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Service of the Royal Marines and has broken multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and tour guide.
-The 43-year-old climbed all 14 "eight-thousanders" (peaks above 8,000 metres, or 26,000 feet) in six months and six days between April and October 2019—then a record. In 2021, Purja completed the first winter ascent of K2 along with a team of nine other Nepalese climbers.
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-Sakhi successfully submitted Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), the world's third-highest mountain, in Nepal in May. He had previously climbed K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen, establishing himself among the country's strongest high-altitude climbers.