World-renowned climber Nims Purja is among 8 missing after a Pakistan avalanche
Two bodies have been recovered in the search for 10 climbers who appear to have been wiped out in an avalanche that struck on Pakistan ’s Broad Peak.
The snowslide hit at about noon local time on Thursday (July 30). The group, led by record-breaking mountaineer and former British Marine Nirmal ’Nims’ Purja, has now been out of contact for several hours since the avalanche struck.
Broad Peak is the 12th-highest mountain in the world. It stands at an elevation of 8,051 meters (26,414 feet) above sea level and is considered one of the most difficult peaks tackled by climbers.
Five Nepalese climbers, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi from Hunza, Omani climber Nadhira, American mountaineer Mallory Geis, Chinese climber Mr Wang, and another foreign climber were all on the expedition led by Purja, with all deemed missing as rescue operations continue on Friday.
Two bodies have been found this morning at the avalanche site as authorities in Pakistan rush to find the 10 missing climbers who have not been heard from since the snowslide struck at around noon on Thursday (July 30).
Speaking to the Kantipur Daily, Seven Summit Treks general manager Thaneshwar Guragain has confirmed two bodies have so far been recovered in the rescue effort.
"It has been confirmed that two bodies have been found," he said, adding: "Currently, work is underway to identify whose body it is," he said."
President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Major General Irfan Arshad, said its leaders were in close contact with government officials to assist with the ongoing search and rescue operation. He added that the club was making every effort to send helicopters and other available relief resources to the area as soon as possible.
But, according to Seven Summit Treks general manager Thaneshwar Guragain, rescue operations have been already hampered by poor weather and the chances of finding survivors are said to be extremely low.
Guragain added that bad weather had grounded rescue helicopters, forcing search parties to mount an initial ground search instead. Some climbers had been swept down by the avalanche and were brought back to base camp overland. It was during the land search and rescue operation that the two bodies were found.
Guragain, like Purja, is a well-known figure in the Himalayan mountaineering community. Guragain runs a mountain trekking business that works closely with Purja and Purja’s company, Elite Exped, which was running the Broad Peak trek of climbers when tragedy struck on Thursday.
But, it would seem there is still hope to be had in the Karakoram mountain range: A tracking device worn by Nims Purja appears to have moved since the avalanche struck.
Purja’s business partner - fellow mountaineer and member of Nepal’s House of Representatives Mingma Gyabu Sherpa - told the Kantipur Daily on Friday morning that the tracking device had continued to ping movement after the snowslide.
"Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche," Sherpa told the Nepalese paper. "But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again."
Sherpa added that the tracking data alone could not confirm Purja’s condition, but it does provide a glimmer of hope that survivors remain on the mountain.
As per Alpine Club of Pakistan senior vice-president Karrar Haidri, a rescue chopper is set to fly off from the city of Skardu, located in the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region, once conditions improve.
Purja served for 16 years in the British military, including 10 years with UK Special Forces after becoming the first Gurkha to pass the elite SBS selection process. He later achieved global recognition by climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in a record six months and six days, a feat documented in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
In 2018, he was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II for his exceptional military service in high-risk environments.
According to the Everest Chronicle, the avalanche comes days after Purja completed his 57th successful ascent of a 8,000-metre peak. He completed an oxygenless ascent of Gasherbrum II on July 21. He was also nearing completion of his Hat Trick Campaign to climb all 14 of the 8,000-metre peaks three times over.
But his career has not all been a success - with controversy coming in the form of allegations of sexual assault during expeditions, as reported by The New York Times.
See the full statement from the Alpine Club of Pakistan here:
World Affairs Correspondent
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