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Karakoram Dispatch

Nims Purja and 4 Others Confirmed Dead After Broad Peak Avalanche

Andoram Desk8 August 2026 · 17:19 UTC · 4 sources
Nims Purja and 4 Others Confirmed Dead After Broad Peak Avalanche
Photograph: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Nirmal Purja and his guide Nima Sherpa have died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, according to a statement from Purja’s own company, EliteExped. The confirmation came days after the slide struck a group of ten climbers who were pushing for the summit, with EliteExped saying that other members of the same expedition also did not survive ExplorersWeb Climbing.

What happened

The avalanche struck on Thursday, 30 July, on what multiple outlets describe as Broad Peak’s normal route, catching all ten climbers who were attempting the summit that day ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Climbing Desnivel. Climbing reported that GPS tracks placed the event at around 9 a.m., based on data recorded between 8:57 and 9:30 a.m., at approximately 6,579 metres (21,580 feet) between Camp II and Camp III on the standard West Ridge. Desnivel gave a slightly later time, 9:30 a.m. local time, and a slightly different altitude of about 6,600 metres. Alpinist reported that GPS trackers belonging to several missing climbers went stationary above 7,800 metres following the avalanche. Individual tracking data illustrated the violence of the slide: American climber Mallory Geis’s tracker showed a sudden drop of 543 metres (1,784 feet), while Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy’s showed a fall of 1,651 metres (5,417 feet). Desnivel reported that Elite Exped said Purja’s own track appeared to keep registering movement for some time afterwards. Pakistani mountaineer Samson Sharaf, a mentor to guide Sohail Sakhi, told Climbing that the overhang where the accident occurred was clearly visible and that the entire snow-laden face most likely moved, sweeping across the traverse.

The people involved

The Alpine Club of Pakistan identified the ten climbers as Nirmal Purja, Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, five other Nepali guides, and three clients from China, Oman and the United States Climbing. Climbing and Desnivel named them individually as Purja, Yukta Gurung, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, Nawang Thendu Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Sohail Sakhi, Mallory Geis, Nadhira Al Harthy and Wang Zhong Desnivel. Purja, 43, was climbing on his own expedition, which EliteExped said was intended primarily to continue his “Hat-Trick Project” for the Nimsdai Foundation, with the Broad Peak attempt added shortly before he travelled to Pakistan ExplorersWeb. He was accompanied by guides Yukta Gurung and Nima Sherpa. Sakhi, a guide from Hunza Valley with a mathematics degree and experience as a photographer and drone pilot, had climbed Nanga Parbat, K2 and both Gasherbrums, and had spoken to ExplorersWeb the previous summer about pay inequity facing Pakistani guides. Geis, 39, of San Antonio, Texas, was attempting her first 8,000-metre peak after previous ascents of Lobuche East and Mera Peak in Nepal. Al Harthy, credited as the first Omani woman to summit Everest and, according to Desnivel, the first Omani to climb K2 and Nanga Parbat, had posted online three weeks earlier about her plans to climb Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I. Wang Zhong, a Chinese climber whose identity was confirmed by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had summited Gasherbrum II alongside Purja on 4 July. Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nawang Thendu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa were experienced Nepali guides with extensive high-altitude records, including prior 8,000-metre summits and rescue work, according to Climbing’s reporting.

The response

News of the avalanche was first reported by Everest Chronicle before being confirmed by the Alpine Club of Pakistan and Mingma David Sherpa, co-founder of Elite Exped Alpinist Magazine Desnivel. Pakistani authorities and the Alpine Club of Pakistan had asked that deaths only be confirmed once bodies were located and identified ExplorersWeb. A 31 July press release from the Commissioner of Baltistan said three bodies, those of Gurung, Al Harthy and Geis, had been recovered, with several other climbers spotted by drone but not yet identified or assessed for condition Climbing. According to Climbing, four bodies were later recovered and brought down to Camp 1 at 5,600 metres (18,368 feet): Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa. Desnivel reported that Karakorum Expeditions confirmed the recovery of four bodies at the base of the avalanche. One body was spotted at a significantly higher point on the mountain and recovery was not attempted owing to the risk involved. Naila Kiani of the Alpine Club of Pakistan told ExplorersWeb that a long-line helicopter recovery was not an option, since military helicopters do not currently perform such operations, though a special request could be made. The Club said rescuers had spotted five bodies in an area considered dangerous, and that the situation would be assessed before further steps were taken. Desnivel reported that strong winds had been blowing since the day of the avalanche, worsening conditions for the search. On 1 August, EliteExped confirmed via Instagram the deaths of Purja and Nima Sherpa, prompting Alpine Club of Pakistan president Irfan Arshad Khan to comment on the post asking the company to stop releasing such information until a person had physically reached the victims.

Background and context

Broad Peak stands at 8,051 metres (26,414 feet) according to Andoram’s reference data and Climbing, though Desnivel gave a figure of 8,047 metres; it is one of the Karakoram’s five 8,000-metre peaks, located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region and known locally as Falchan Kangri Alpinist Magazine Climbing Desnivel. Purja held the record for climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks without supplemental oxygen, a feat completed on 4 October 2024 after two years and 150 days, following an earlier ascent of the same 14 peaks using some supplemental oxygen in six months, documented in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible”. He took part in the first successful winter ascent of K2 in January 2021 and had summited 8,000-metre peaks 57 times over his life, more than anyone else, 29 of them without supplemental oxygen. A summit of Broad Peak would have been his 13th step, according to Climbing, toward completing the 14 peaks a second time without oxygen, with only Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) in Tibet remaining. Less than a week before the accident, Purja had posted about summiting Gasherbrum II, writing that “the mountains never owe us anything”. Climbing also noted that, following the Netflix documentary’s release, two women accused Purja of sexual assault in a 2024 New York Times feature, and that a 2025 podcast series questioned some of those allegations.

What is not yet confirmed

At the time of these reports, the fates of Sohail Sakhi, Nawang Thendu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa remained unclear, with at least one body spotted at a higher, harder-to-reach location on the mountain ExplorersWeb Climbing. It is not settled whether further recovery operations, including any special helicopter request, will proceed given the risks described by the Alpine Club of Pakistan. The precise timing and altitude of the avalanche differ slightly between Climbing’s and Desnivel’s accounts, and Broad Peak’s official elevation is given differently by Climbing and Desnivel Desnivel. The full circumstances leading Purja to add Broad Peak to his itinerary, and the complete final movements of each climber, have not been detailed beyond the GPS data cited by Climbing and Alpinist Alpinist Magazine.

Sources referenced

Written by Andoram by combining 4 independently published reports, each linked above. We synthesise facts and reproduce no source text.

Coverage timeline

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 8 Aug 2026 17:19 UTC.

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