Who was Nirmal Purja? Nepali-British mountaineer and Netflix star killed in Broad Peak avalanche
An avalanche struck Broad Peak (8,047m/26,401ft, according to most outlets, though Climbing’s reporting gives 8,051m/26,414ft) in Pakistan’s Karakoram range on Thursday, 30 July 2026, catching ten climbers on the mountain’s standard West Ridge route ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Desnivel Climbing. Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja, who led the Elite Exped team and the broader ten-person expedition, was among those caught, and recovery efforts over the following days confirmed multiple deaths while a smaller number of climbers remained unaccounted for Gripped.
What happened
Accounts of the precise timing of the avalanche differ. The Alpine Club of Pakistan’s initial press release placed it around midday local time, a figure reported by both ExplorersWeb and Alpinist ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine. Climbing, however, cited climbers’ GPS trackers showing the event occurring between 8:57am and 9:30am local time Climbing, while Desnivel reported a trigger time of 9:30am Desnivel, and ExplorersWeb separately noted reports placing it around 9:20am, adding that some accounts described two separate avalanches rather than one. The slide struck at roughly 6,579 to 6,600 metres (about 21,584 to 21,654 feet), on the section of the route between Camp II and Camp III. The expedition had reached Camp 2 the previous day, Wednesday 29 July, according to Imagine Nepal, with a plan to move to Camp 3 on Thursday and summit on Friday after a short break.
GPS data examined afterwards showed several climbers becoming stationary above 7,800 metres (25,591 feet) once the avalanche had passed Alpinist Magazine. Individual tracker readings varied sharply: American climber Mallory Geis’s device recorded a sudden descent of 543 metres (1,784 feet), while Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy’s showed a drop of 1,651 metres (5,417 feet) Climbing. Desnivel reported that Purja’s own tracker appeared to continue showing movement for a period after the avalanche, according to Elite Exped Desnivel. Pakistani mountaineer Samson Sharaf, a mentor to climber Sohail Sakhi, said the overhang where the accident occurred was clearly visible beforehand and that the entire snow-laden face likely moved, sweeping across the traverse.
The people involved
The ten climbers caught comprised Purja, five other Nepali guides or climbers, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, American client Mallory Geis, and Chinese climber Wang Zhong ExplorersWeb Climbing. Desnivel named the Nepali climbers as Yukta Gurung (Pur Bahadur Gurung), Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, Nwang Thendou Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa Desnivel. ExplorersWeb reported that four separate teams were operating on the mountain at the time: Sohail Sakhi with his client Mallory Geis, Purja’s Elite Exped team, an Imagine Nepal team operating without leader Mingma G, who was on K2 at the time, and a Seven Summit Treks group.
Several of those involved had established high-altitude records. Al Harthy was reported to be the first Omani woman to climb Everest, in May 2019, as well as K2 in 2022 and Nanga Parbat in 2024, having also summited Manaslu and Ama Dablam Desnivel Climbing. Purja had completed the 14 Peaks Challenge without supplemental oxygen, finishing on 4 October 2024 after 2 years and 150 days, having earlier completed the same challenge with some supplemental oxygen over six months, documented in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible”. He had summited 8,000-metre peaks 57 times in his life, including 29 without supplemental oxygen, according to Climbing, and had taken part in the January 2021 team of ten Nepali alpinists that made the winter ascent of K2. Climbing reported that Purja’s primary objective on the trip was his “Hat-Trick Project” for the Nimsdai Foundation. He had decided to add Broad Peak to his itinerary shortly before travelling to Pakistan, intending that only Cho Oyu would then remain for him to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen ExplorersWeb. Fewer than a week before his death he had posted on Instagram that he had summited Gasherbrum II, his self-proclaimed 57th 8,000-metre summit.
Other climbers had their own records and backgrounds. Sakhi, from the Hunza Valley, held a master’s degree in mathematics and worked as a mountain photographer and drone pilot; Climbing reported he had previously spoken about pay inequity facing Pakistani guides Climbing. Geis, 39, of San Antonio, Texas, was on her first 8,000-metre attempt, having previously summited Lobuche East (6,119m/20,076ft) and Mera Peak (6,476m/21,246ft). Wang Zhong had summited his 11th 8,000-metre peak alongside Purja on 4 July; Broad Peak would have been his 13th, according to Climbing. Nepali guides Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa and Nawang Thendu Sherpa each carried extensive high-altitude records, including Gurung’s 28 eight-thousander ascents and Kilu’s completion of all 14 such peaks on Nanga Parbat on 3 July 2026.
The response
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the entire team lost communication after the avalanche, and Naila Kiani of the ACP told ExplorersWeb that the organisation only learned of the event at 10pm, nearly 13 hours after it occurred ExplorersWeb. ACP president Major General Irfan Arshad said the club remained in constant contact with government authorities to facilitate search and rescue, and two helicopters carrying rescuers and oxygen were scheduled to fly to the mountain on Friday, 31 July. By that date, Karakoram Expeditions reported four bodies recovered, later identified in stages by Desnivel and Climbing Desnivel Climbing. Subsequent updates brought the total recovered to seven, transported first to Camp 1 (5,600m/18,373ft) and later to base camp, according to Gripped Gripped. The recovery was led by Nepali mountaineer Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, and the ACP described the operation as exceptionally challenging and technically demanding. The club recognised named Pakistani and Nepali climbers for their part in the effort and thanked the Pakistan Army, government bodies, the British High Commission and the Embassy of Nepal for assistance. Strong winds blowing since the avalanche were reported to have hampered the work, and one body spotted at a higher location was not recovered owing to the risk involved. Multiple fundraisers were launched for the families of those killed, including efforts by a friend of Sakhi, by Little Monsters Films for Gurung’s family, and by the Juniper Fund for six Nepali and Pakistani guides.
Background
Broad Peak, known locally as Falchan Kangri, meaning “broad peak” in the Balti language, is regarded by Climbing as among the less technical of the 8,000-metre peaks Climbing. News of the avalanche was first carried by Everest Chronicle before being confirmed by the Alpine Club of Pakistan and Mingma David Sherpa, co-founder of Elite Exped Alpinist Magazine Desnivel. Following the 2024 Netflix documentary about Purja, two women accused him of sexual assault in a 2024 New York Times feature, and a 2025 podcast series by reporter Poppy Damon later questioned some of those allegations, Climbing reported.
What is not yet confirmed
At the time of Gripped’s report, three climbers remained missing, with recovery teams saying they would continue efforts when conditions allowed Gripped. The exact cause of the discrepancy between the midday and mid-morning timings for the avalanche has not been resolved, nor has it been established whether one or two separate avalanches occurred, as some sources suggested ExplorersWeb. An amputated leg recovered during the search was described as presumably belonging to one of the missing climbers, but this has not been confirmed Climbing. Elite Exped’s statement that it had received confirmation of further deaths among expedition members was publicly challenged by ACP president Irfan Arshad Khan, who asked the company to withhold such information until recovery teams reached the climbers, leaving the status of those claims unresolved.
Sources referenced
- Updated: Ten Missing, Including Nirmal Purja, After Avalanche on Broad Peak — ExplorersWeb
- AVALANCHE: TEN CLIMBERS, INCLUDING NIRMAL PURJA, MISSING ON BROAD PEAK — Alpinist Magazine
- Avalancha en el Broad Peak: cuatro personas fallecidas y seis desaparecidas, entre ellas Nirmal Purja — Desnivel
- Who Were the 10 Climbers Caught in the Broad Peak Avalanche? — Climbing
- Body of Famed Mountaineer Recovered from Broad Peak — Gripped
Written by Andoram by combining 5 independently published reports, each linked above. We synthesise facts and reproduce no source text.
Coverage timeline
- Who was Nirmal Purja? Nepali-British mountaineer and Netflix star killed in Broad Peak avalanche — The Independent, 2 Aug 2026, 11:31 UTC
- Body of Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja found 3 days after Broad Peak avalanche — The Statesman, 2 Aug 2026, 07:00 UTC
- Legendary mountaineer and Netflix Star Nirmal Purja confirmed dead in devastating avalanche — LADbible, 1 Aug 2026, 07:00 UTC
This page is an automatically compiled index of third-party reporting. Headlines and links belong to their publishers; Andoram reproduces no article text. Last compiled 21 Aug 2026 16:15 UTC.
