Mountaineer Nirmal Purja’s body recovered after Pakistan avalanche, rescuers say

An avalanche struck a group of climbers on Broad Peak (8,047m/26,401ft), the world’s 12th-highest mountain, in Pakistan’s Karakoram range on Thursday, July 30 ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Climbing Gripped. Ten climbers, including expedition leader Nirmal “Nims” Purja, were reported missing in the hours afterward, and by early August recovery teams had retrieved seven bodies while three climbers remained unaccounted for.

What happened

The slide came down on the standard West Ridge route between Camp 2 and Camp 3, at roughly 6,579 to 6,660 metres (21,585 to 21,850 feet), according to accounts carried by ExplorersWeb and Climbing ExplorersWeb Climbing. Reports on timing varied: one account placed the avalanche at around 9:20am, another at about 9am, while GPS tracks suggested it struck somewhere between 8:57am and 9:30am; the Alpine Club of Pakistan’s own release, by contrast, stated the event occurred “around midday” Alpinist Magazine. ExplorersWeb also noted that some reports described two avalanches rather than a single slide. Pakistani mountaineer Samson Sharaf, described as a mentor to guide Sohail Sakhi, told Climbing that the overhanging snow face above the traverse was clearly visible beforehand and that the whole loaded slope appeared to have moved, sweeping across the route. GPS trackers carried by several of the missing climbers showed them stationary above 7,800 metres (25,590 feet) after the event, with Alpinist reporting that tracks indicated the climbers’ ascent stopped around 9:30am Pakistan time before they fell several hundred metres. Climbing reported that Mallory Geis’s tracker recorded a sudden drop of 543 metres (1,784 feet), while Nadhira Al Harthy’s showed a fall of 1,651 metres (5,417 feet). Separately, Broad Peak’s elevation itself was given inconsistently across the reporting, with some outlets citing 8,047 metres and Gripped giving 8,051 metres (26,414 feet) Gripped.

The people involved

Those initially reported missing included Purja, Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, five other Nepali guides, and three clients from China, Oman and the United States ExplorersWeb Climbing. The Alpine Club of Pakistan named the group as Nims Dai, leading five Nepalese mountaineers; Sohail Sakhi, from Hunza; Omani climber Nathira; American climber Mallory Geis; a Chinese climber referred to as Mr. Wang; and one further foreign climber. The spelling of the American client’s name varied between reports, appearing as “Mallory Geiss,” “Mallory Weis” and “Mallory Geis”. Four separate expedition teams were on the mountain at the time, per ExplorersWeb: Sohail Sakhi with his client Geis; Purja leading the EliteExped team; an Imagine Nepal group operating without leader Mingma G, who was then on K2; and a Seven Summit Treks party. Imagine Nepal reported that its climbers had reached Camp 2 on the Wednesday, intended to move to Camp 3 on the Thursday, and had planned to summit on the Friday. Elite Exped said Purja was accompanied by guides Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung and Nima Sherpa. Those later confirmed dead included Gurung, Al Harthy, Geis, Purja, Nima Sherpa, Wang Zhong and Kili Pemba Sherpa Gripped.

The response

Naila Kiani of the Alpine Club of Pakistan told ExplorersWeb that the club only learned of the avalanche at 10pm, roughly 13 hours after it is believed to have occurred, despite teams having staff present at Base Camp, and said the club was “shocked” by the delay ExplorersWeb. Alpinist reported that news first emerged via Everest Chronicle before the Alpine Club of Pakistan and Mingma David Sherpa, co-founder of Elite Exped, confirmed the event Alpinist Magazine. Two helicopters loaded with rescuers and oxygen were scheduled to fly to Broad Peak the following day, and ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad said he remained in constant contact with government authorities to organise search and rescue, with helicopter support contingent on weather. A July 31 press release from the Commissioner of Baltistan said rescuers had recovered the bodies of Gurung, Al Harthy and Geis, and had spotted several other climbers by drone without identifying them or confirming their condition Climbing. Climbing reported the operation paused for inclement weather before resuming on August 1. A further ACP update reported four additional bodies had been recovered and taken to Camp 1 (5,600 metres/18,373 feet): Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa, along with one amputated leg presumed to belong to one of the remaining climbers, while one body spotted at a higher point was not recovered owing to the risk involved. Elite Exped confirmed Purja’s and Nima Sherpa’s deaths via Instagram on August 1, and separately stated it had received confirmation that other team members had also died; Arshad publicly asked Elite Exped to stop sharing such information until rescuers reached the climbers. Gripped later reported that seven bodies in total had been recovered and transported to Broad Peak base camp, in what the ACP described as an “exceptionally challenging and technically demanding” operation carried out in extremely dangerous mountain conditions, led by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa Gripped. The ACP credited Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan, Abid Baig and Sherbaz, and Nepali climbers Dipen Gurung and Pemba Chhewang Sherpa, for their roles in the recovery, and thanked the Pakistan Army, the governments of Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, local authorities, supporting agencies, the British High Commission and the Embassy of Nepal. The club said it remained committed to supporting efforts to locate and recover the three climbers still missing, so they could be returned to their families.

Background and context

Elite Exped said Purja’s presence on Broad Peak formed part of his own expedition, primarily aimed at continuing his “Hat-Trick Project” in support of the Nimsdai Foundation, and that he had decided shortly before travelling to Pakistan to attempt the mountain Climbing. Purja himself posted that his original plan had been to climb only Gasherbrum II, but he added Broad Peak after calculating it would leave only Cho Oyu remaining for him to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen ExplorersWeb. Climbing reported that Purja had completed the 14 Peaks Challenge without supplemental oxygen on October 4, 2024, after two years and 150 days, having earlier completed the challenge with some supplemental oxygen in six months five years before that; he had summited 8,000-metre peaks 57 times, more than anyone in history, including 29 without supplemental oxygen, and had taken part in the first winter ascent of K2 in January 2021 with nine other Nepali alpinists. He was co-founder of Elite Exped and founder of the Nimsdai Foundation, which runs education and environmental programmes in Nepal, and had posted on Instagram less than a week before the avalanche about reaching the summit of Gasherbrum II, describing it as his 57th 8,000-metre summit. Climbing also noted that, following a Netflix documentary about him, two women had accused Purja of sexual assault in a 2024 New York Times feature, and that a 2025 podcast series by reporter Poppy Damon had questioned some of those allegations. Among the other climbers, Sohail Sakhi was a Pakistani high-altitude guide from Hunza Valley with a mathematics master’s degree who had summited Nanga Parbat, K2, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II, and had spoken publicly in favour of better treatment and pay for Pakistani guides. Nadhira Al Harthy became the first Omani woman to summit Everest on May 23, 2019, and had been preparing to climb Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I as part of a goal to climb all 14 eight-thousanders. Kili Pemba “Kilu” Sherpa, a lead guide for Imagine Nepal, had completed all 14 eight-thousanders, finishing with Nanga Parbat on July 3, had summited Everest 15 times, and had taken part in the 2021 first winter ascent of K2. The Juniper Fund launched a fundraiser for the families of the six Nepali and Pakistani guides lost in the avalanche, and separate fundraisers were set up for Sakhi’s family by his friend Chris Lininger, for Gurung’s family by Little Monsters Films (run by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin), and for Kili Pemba Sherpa’s wife, Tashi Lhamu Sherpa.

What is not yet confirmed

The exact timing of the avalanche remains disputed between reports citing a morning event around 9am and the Alpine Club of Pakistan’s statement that it occurred around midday ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Climbing. It is not established whether one avalanche or two struck the climbers. The precise elevation of Broad Peak itself is given inconsistently across the sources, varying between 8,047 metres and 8,051 metres Gripped. The correct spelling of the American client’s name has not been settled, with reports using “Geis,” “Geiss” and “Weis”. The identities and conditions of the climbers spotted by drone but not recovered, including the body seen at a higher location, have not been confirmed. Finally, the fate of the three climbers who remained missing as of the Gripped report had not been determined, with recovery teams stating only that efforts would continue when conditions allowed.

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
• 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 4 independently published reports, each linked above. We synthesise facts and reproduce no source text.

Coverage timeline

• Mountaineer Nirmal Purja's body recovered after Pakistan avalanche, rescuers say — BBC, 2 Aug 2026, 10:11 UTC
• Rescuers recover climber Nirmal Purja's body after avalanche disaster – ABS-CBN — Google News, 2 Aug 2026, 07:00 UTC
• Mountaineer Nirmal Purja's body found 3 days after deadly avalanche on POK peak — India Today, 2 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 22 Aug 2026 18:00 UTC.