Legendary mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja killed in Broad Peak avalanche
An avalanche swept across the West Ridge route of Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range on Thursday, July 30, 2026, catching a group of ten climbers that included Nirmal “Nims” Purja, the mountaineer known for his speed ascents of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks. By the following days, rescuers had recovered several bodies and confirmed a number of deaths, while the fate of other climbers remained unresolved. Climbing ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Desnivel
What happened
Accounts of the precise timing diverge. Climbing reported the avalanche struck at approximately 9:00 a.m. local time, with climbers’ GPS tracks indicating it occurred between 8:57 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Climbing. The Alpine Club of Pakistan described the event as happening “around midday,” while Alpinist Magazine reported it struck “shortly before noon.” ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine. Desnivel gave a time of 9:30 a.m., and ExplorersWeb cited approximately 9:20 a.m. Desnivel. The location is similarly reported with some variation: Climbing placed the avalanche at around 6,579 metres (21,580 feet) between Camp II and Camp III, ExplorersWeb put it at roughly 6,660 metres in the same stretch, and Desnivel cited approximately 6,600 metres.. Alpinist Magazine reported that GPS trackers belonging to several missing climbers became stationary above 7,800 metres and had remained there since the avalanche.. 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.
The people involved
The ten climbers caught in the avalanche were Nirmal Purja, Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, Nepali guides Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, Nawang Thendu Sherpa and Kili Pemba “Kilu” Sherpa, Chinese climber Wang Zhong, American climber Mallory Geis, and Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy. Climbing Desnivel. The Alpine Club of Pakistan’s initial press release described the group somewhat differently, as five Nepali mountaineers led by Purja, one Pakistani climber, one Omani climber, one American climber, one Chinese climber and one additional foreign climber. ExplorersWeb. ExplorersWeb reported that four separate teams were present on the mountain: Sakhi guiding his client Geis; Purja leading the Elite Exped team; an Imagine Nepal team operating without its leader Mingma G, who was on K2 at the time; and a group from Seven Summit Treks.. Purja, widely known for his mountaineering career, led the expedition and was accompanied by guides Gurung and Nima Sherpa.. Sakhi, a guide from Hunza Valley with a master’s degree in mathematics, had summited Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen in 2025 and had spoken publicly about pay inequity facing Pakistani guides.. Geis, 39, of San Antonio, Texas, was Sakhi’s client and a travel photographer attempting her first 8,000-metre peak.. ExplorersWeb referred to her at different points as “Mallory Weis” and “Mallory Geiss.”. Al Harthy, the first Omani woman to summit Everest in 2019, had according to Desnivel also summited K2 in 2022 and become the first Omani person to summit Nanga Parbat in 2024.. Wang Zhong had summited Gasherbrum II alongside Purja weeks earlier, with Broad Peak intended as a further step toward completing all 14 eight-thousand-metre peaks.. Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa and Nawang Thendu Sherpa were each described as experienced high-altitude guides with extensive summit records across the Himalaya and Karakoram.
The response
Naila Kiani of the Alpine Club of Pakistan said the club learned of the avalanche only at 10 p.m., nearly thirteen hours after it occurred, which delayed the rescue response until after dark. ExplorersWeb. Two helicopters were scheduled to fly to Broad Peak on Friday carrying rescuers and oxygen, with ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad reported to be coordinating with government authorities and agencies to arrange support.. Rescuers faced high-risk terrain and strong winds that had persisted since the day of the avalanche, complicating search efforts, according to both Climbing and Desnivel. Climbing Desnivel. A July 31 press release from the Commissioner of Baltistan reported the recovery of three bodies: Gurung, Al Harthy and Geis.. Desnivel, citing Karakoram Expeditions, reported the recovery of four bodies at the base of the avalanche, with two identified as Al Harthy and Gurung.. A subsequent Alpine Club of Pakistan update reported four additional bodies transported to Camp 1 at 5,600 metres (18,368 feet): Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa.. One body was spotted at a higher location on the mountain but recovery was not attempted owing to the risk involved, and an amputated leg, presumed to belong to one of the missing climbers, was also recovered.. On August 1, Elite Exped confirmed via Instagram the deaths of Purja and Nima Sherpa, bringing the confirmed toll to five, alongside Gurung, Al Harthy and Geis.. Elite Exped stated it had received confirmation that other expedition members had also not survived, prompting ACP President Irfan Arshad Khan to publicly ask the company to stop circulating such information until rescuers had physically reached the climbers.. Elite Exped separately issued a statement expressing devastation over the losses and recognising the efforts of search and rescue teams working in difficult conditions.. Fundraisers were established for several of the Nepali and Pakistani guides’ families, including efforts by Chris Lininger for Sakhi’s mother and brother, by Little Monsters Films for Gurung’s wife and son, for Kili Pemba Sherpa’s wife Tashi Lhamu Sherpa, and by the Juniper Fund for the families of the six Nepali and Pakistani guides.
Background and context
Broad Peak, known locally as Falchan Kangri in the Balti language, sits in the Karakoram range of Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region and is listed as the world’s 12th-highest peak. Climbing ExplorersWeb. Its elevation is given as 8,051 metres (26,414 feet) by Climbing, while ExplorersWeb and Desnivel list it as 8,047 metres. Desnivel. Purja was attempting the mountain as part of his “Hat-Trick Project,” having decided to add Broad Peak to his itinerary shortly before departing for Pakistan; Elite Exped said a successful summit would have marked his 13th peak toward completing all 14 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen for a second time, leaving only Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft) in Tibet remaining.. Purja had previously set a record for completing the 14 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen in 2 years and 150 days, finishing on October 4, 2024, after an earlier six-month ascent of the same peaks using some supplemental oxygen, documented in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”. He had also taken part in the first winter ascent of K2 in January 2021 and had summited 8,000-metre peaks 57 times during his life, including 29 without supplemental oxygen.. Following the release of his documentary, two women accused Purja of sexual assault in a 2024 New York Times feature, and a 2025 podcast series by reporter Poppy Damon questioned some of the allegations.. Gurung came from Luprak, near the epicentre of Nepal’s 2025 earthquake, and had been active in rebuilding his community, according to Abiral Rai of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association.. Kili Pemba Sherpa had completed all 14 eight-thousanders weeks earlier on Nanga Parbat and had taken part in opening a new route to Manaslu’s summit in 2021..
What is not yet confirmed
The exact time and altitude of the avalanche remain disputed across outlets, with reported times ranging from shortly before 9 a.m. to midday and altitudes cited between roughly 6,579 and 6,660 metres. Climbing ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Desnivel. The total number of bodies recovered is also unclear, with the Commissioner of Baltistan reporting three and Karakoram Expeditions, as cited by Desnivel, reporting four.. The fate of Sohail Sakhi, Nawang Thendu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa had not been confirmed as of the latest reporting.. It remains unconfirmed whether the body spotted at a higher location on the mountain will be recovered, given the risk cited by rescuers.. The precise elevation of Broad Peak itself is reported inconsistently between sources.
Sources referenced
- Who Were the 10 Climbers Caught in the Broad Peak Avalanche? — Climbing
- 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
Written by Andoram by combining 4 independently published reports, each linked above. We synthesise facts and reproduce no source text.
Coverage timeline
- Legendary mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja killed in Broad Peak avalanche — The Federal, 1 Aug 2026, 11:57 UTC
- Legendary mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja declared dead in avalanche on PoK peak — Livemint, 1 Aug 2026, 07:00 UTC
- Broad Peak Avalanche: What we know so far about Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja and the missing climbers in Pakistan — The Kathmandu Post, 31 Jul 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 28 Aug 2026 23:45 UTC.
