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All climbers killed in Broad Peak avalanche in Pakistan – The Spokesman-Review

Andoram Desk23 October 2026 · 16:45 UTC · 3 sources
All climbers killed in Broad Peak avalanche in Pakistan – The Spokesman-Review
Photograph: Bill Holler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

An avalanche swept across the West Ridge of Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range on Thursday, July 30, striking a group of ten climbers as they ascended toward the upper camps ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Climbing Desnivel. Several members of the party, including mountaineer Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja, have been confirmed dead, while rescuers continued searching for others amid difficult weather in the days that followed.

What happened

Broad Peak, standing at 8,047 metres (26,401 feet) according to ExplorersWeb and Desnivel, or 8,051 metres (26,414 feet) per Climbing, is described by multiple outlets as the world’s 12th-highest mountain ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Desnivel. The climbers were following the normal, or West Ridge, route when the avalanche hit Climbing. Accounts of the timing diverge: ExplorersWeb cited roughly 9:20am Pakistan time, while also noting the Alpine Club of Pakistan referred to “around midday”; Climbing placed the event at about 9am, with GPS tracks clustering between 8:57am and 9:30am; Desnivel reported 9:30am local time; and Alpinist described it as occurring shortly before noon. ExplorersWeb reported that it may in fact have involved two separate avalanches. The altitude at which the avalanche struck is similarly reported with variation—around 6,660 metres (21,850 feet) between Camps 2 and 3 per ExplorersWeb, about 6,579 metres (21,580 feet) per Climbing, and roughly 6,600 metres (21,654 feet) per Desnivel—while Alpinist noted that GPS trackers belonging to several missing climbers went stationary above 7,800 metres (25,591 feet). Pakistani mountaineer Samson Sharaf, described as Sohail Sakhi’s mentor, shared imagery of the avalanche overhang and suggested the entire snow-laden face had likely swept across the traverse. GPS data cited by ExplorersWeb showed several climbers’ ascent halting around 9:30am before they fell several hundred metres, while Climbing reported that Mallory Geis’s tracker recorded a sudden descent of 543 metres (1,784 feet) and Nadhira Al Harthy’s showed a drop of 1,651 metres (5,417 feet). Desnivel reported that Purja’s own GPS track appeared to continue showing movement for some time after the avalanche occurred.

The people involved

The Alpine Club of Pakistan’s initial release described the group as ten climbers, including five Nepalese mountaineers led by Purja, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, Omani mountaineer identified as “Nathira,” American climber Mallory Geis—also rendered as “Mallory Geiss” or “Mallory Weis” in ExplorersWeb’s reporting—Chinese climber referred to as “Mr. Wang,” and one further foreign climber ExplorersWeb. Climbing and Desnivel later named the full party as Purja, Sakhi, Geis, Nadhira Al Harthy, Wang Zhong, Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, Nawang Thendu Sherpa, and Kili Pemba Sherpa Climbing Desnivel. ExplorersWeb reported that four teams were present on the mountain at the time: Sakhi with client Geis, Purja’s EliteExped team, an Imagine Nepal team operating without leader Mingma G, who was on K2, and a Seven Summit Treks group. Several of those involved carried extensive high-altitude records: Purja had reportedly summited 8,000-metre peaks 57 times, 29 without supplemental oxygen, and had completed the 14 Peaks Challenge without supplemental oxygen in 2 years and 150 days, finishing October 4, 2024, after an earlier six-month completion with some oxygen use five years prior, feats documented in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible”. He had summited Gasherbrum II less than a week before the accident, by his own account his 57th 8,000-metre summit, and according to Elite Exped and ExplorersWeb had decided shortly before travelling to Pakistan to also attempt Broad Peak as his 13th summit toward a second completion of all 14 eight-thousanders without oxygen, with only Cho Oyu remaining. Elite Exped stated the Broad Peak attempt formed part of Purja’s “Hat-Trick Project” supporting the Nimsdai Foundation, accompanied by guides Yukta Gurung and Nima Sherpa. Climbing reported on the backgrounds of other members: Sakhi, a mathematician and high-altitude guide who had advocated publicly for better treatment of Pakistani guides; Geis, a photographer and pilates studio owner from Texas for whom Broad Peak was a first 8,000-metre attempt; Al Harthy, noted as the first Omani woman to summit Everest, with Desnivel adding she was also the first Omani to climb K2 and Nanga Parbat; Wang Zhong, confirmed by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had been aiming for his 13th 8,000-metre peak; Gurung, a certified guide from Luprak; Kili Pemba Sherpa, who had completed all 14 eight-thousanders weeks earlier; and Nawang Thendu Sherpa, a guide with six 8,000-metre summits.

The response

The Alpine Club of Pakistan’s President, Major General Irfan Arshad, was reported to be coordinating with government authorities to organise search and rescue, including mobilising helicopters subject to weather ExplorersWeb. ACP official Naila Kiani told ExplorersWeb that the club only learned of the avalanche at 10pm, nearly 13 hours after it occurred, which delayed the response. Two helicopters carrying rescuers and oxygen were set to fly to Broad Peak on Friday, August 1. Desnivel reported that strong winds had persisted since the day of the avalanche, complicating conditions, and Climbing reported that search operations were expected to resume once weather allowed Climbing Desnivel. Four bodies—Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa, and Kili Pemba Sherpa—were brought down to Camp 1 at 5,600 metres (18,373 feet), while a separate release from the Commissioner of Baltistan on July 31 listed three recovered bodies as Gurung, Al Harthy, and Geis, and Desnivel’s sourcing from Karakorum Expeditions described four bodies recovered at the base of the avalanche with two identified as Al Harthy and Gurung. One additional body was spotted higher on the mountain but not recovered owing to risk, and an amputated leg, presumed to belong to one of the remaining climbers, was also recovered. Elite Exped confirmed via Instagram on August 1 the deaths of Purja and Nima Sherpa, and stated it had received confirmation that other members had not survived, though ACP President Irfan Arshad Khan publicly asked the organisation to stop circulating such information until rescuers had physically reached the climbers. Drones reportedly spotted further climbers whose identities and condition had not been confirmed.

Background and context

Broad Peak sits in the Gilgit-Baltistan region and is known locally as Falchan Kangri, meaning “broad peak” in Balti, according to Climbing Climbing. Purja had earlier taken part in the first winter ascent of K2 in January 2021 alongside nine other Nepali alpinists, and co-founded both Elite Exped and the Nimsdai Foundation, which runs educational and environmental programmes in Nepal. Climbing noted that, following the release of the Netflix documentary, two women accused Purja of sexual assault in a 2024 New York Times feature, and a 2025 podcast by Poppy Damon questioned some of those allegations. Fundraisers were launched for victims’ families, including one by the Juniper Fund covering six Nepali and Pakistani guides, one by Chris Lininger for Sakhi’s mother and brother, and one by Little Monsters Films for Yukta Gurung’s wife and son.

What is not yet confirmed

The precise time of the avalanche remains unsettled, with reports ranging from roughly 9am to midday ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Climbing Desnivel. Whether one or two avalanches occurred has not been resolved. The exact altitude at which the slide struck is reported variably between about 6,579 metres and 6,660 metres. The full death toll and the identities of all climbers spotted by drone at higher altitude have not been confirmed. The spelling of the American client’s name—Geis, Geiss, or Weis—remains inconsistent across reporting. The identity of the Omani climber referred to in the ACP’s initial statement as “Nathira,” later clarified elsewhere as Nadhira Al Harthy, was not immediately consistent. It is also unclear whether further bodies will be recovered given the conditions and risk described by rescuers.

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 23 Oct 2026 16:45 UTC.

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