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Renowned climber Nirmal Purja’s body recovered days after deadly Broad Peak avalanche

Andoram Desk3 September 2026 · 00:15 UTC · 3 sources
Renowned climber Nirmal Purja’s body recovered days after deadly Broad Peak avalanche
Photograph: DosantosVega via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

An avalanche struck Broad Peak, the 8,051m (26,414ft) mountain in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, on Thursday, July 30, 2026, sweeping up ten climbers on the standard West Ridge route. Multiple outlets have since confirmed a number of deaths among the group, which included Nepali, Pakistani, Omani, American and Chinese mountaineers, while search efforts for the remainder have continued in difficult conditions. The group included Nirmal “Nims” Purja, a mountaineer known for his speed-climbing record across the world’s 8,000m peaks.

What happened

Accounts agree that the avalanche hit climbers ascending between Camp 2 and Camp 3 on Broad Peak’s normal route, though the exact timing and location vary by outlet. ExplorersWeb put the event at around 9:20am and roughly 6,660m, while Climbing cited GPS data placing it between 8:57am and 9:30am near 6,579m (21,580ft) ExplorersWeb Climbing. Desnivel reported a time of 9:30am local time and an altitude close to 6,600m, while Alpinist reported that GPS trackers belonging to the climbers became stationary above 7,800m, and separately that the slide occurred shortly before noon local time Desnivel Alpinist Magazine. ExplorersWeb also reported that it may have involved two separate avalanches rather than one. Pakistani mountaineer Samson Sharaf, describing the terrain, said an overhang at the accident site was clearly visible and that the entire snow-laden face moved, sweeping the full traverse. GPS devices carried by the climbers recorded sudden drops consistent with a fall: American climber Mallory Geis’s tracker showed a descent of 543 metres (1,784ft), while Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy’s showed a fall of 1,651 metres (5,417ft). Desnivel reported that, according to Elite Exped, Nirmal Purja’s track appeared to keep registering movement for some time afterward.

The people involved

The ten climbers caught in the avalanche were named as Nirmal Purja, Sohail Sakhi, Mallory Geis (also rendered Geiss or Weis by ExplorersWeb), Nadhira Al Harthy, Wang Zhong, Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, Nawang Thendu (also Thindu) Sherpa and Kili Pemba “Kilu” Sherpa ExplorersWeb Climbing Desnivel. Purja, co-founder of Elite Exped and founder of the Nimsdai Foundation, had summited 8,000m peaks 57 times, 29 of them without supplemental oxygen, and was among the Nepali team that made the winter ascent of K2 in January 2021. He wrote on social media that joining the Broad Peak climb had been a last-minute decision, made while he was in the region for Gasherbrum II, and said that completing Broad Peak would leave only Cho Oyu remaining before he became, by his own account, the first person to climb all fourteen 8,000m peaks twice without supplemental oxygen. Elite Exped said the expedition was part of Purja’s “Hat-Trick Project” supporting the Nimsdai Foundation, and that he was travelling with guides Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nima Sherpa. Sohail Sakhi, a Hunza-based guide with a mathematics background, had summited Nanga Parbat, K2 and both Gasherbrums, and had previously spoken to ExplorersWeb about pay disparities facing Pakistani guides. Al Harthy, a geology teacher, was reported by Climbing to be the first Omani woman to summit Everest, in 2019, with Desnivel adding that she was also the first Omani to summit K2 and Nanga Parbat. Wang Zhong, whose identity was confirmed in a Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs release, had been climbing toward his 13th 8,000m summit. Yukta Gurung and Kilu Sherpa were both experienced IMFGA-certified or veteran guides, the latter having completed all fourteen 8,000m peaks weeks earlier on Nanga Parbat, while Nawang Thendu Sherpa had taken part in earlier high-altitude rescue work, including on Annapurna in 2025.

The response

The Alpine Club of Pakistan, headed by Major General Irfan Arshad Khan, issued a press release confirming the avalanche and expedition details, saying it was in constant contact with government authorities to coordinate search and rescue, and that helicopter support was being mobilised subject to weather ExplorersWeb. ACP representative Naila Kiani told ExplorersWeb that the club only learned of the avalanche at 10pm, nearly 13 hours after it struck, and said everyone involved was shocked by the situation. Two helicopters were scheduled to reach Broad Peak the following day carrying rescuers and oxygen. Recovery efforts, described by the ACP as “exceptionally challenging and technically demanding,” were led by Nepali mountaineer Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, known as Mingma G, with contributions recognised from Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan, Abid Baig and Sherbaz, and Nepali climbers Dipen Gurung and Pemba Chhewang Sherpa Gripped. The ACP thanked the Pakistan Army, the governments of Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, local authorities, the British High Commission and the Embassy of Nepal for assistance. Bodies were recovered in stages: an initial Baltistan Commissioner release cited three recoveries, while later ACP updates brought the total to seven, transported to Broad Peak base camp, with one further body spotted at height but not recovered owing to risk Climbing. Gripped reported the seven recovered as Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Pur Bahadur Gurung, Al Harthy and Geis. An amputated leg believed to belong to one of the missing climbers was also recovered, according to Climbing. Fundraisers were subsequently established for several of the Nepali and Pakistani guides’ families, including by the Juniper Fund, Little Monsters Films and individual organisers.

Background and context

Broad Peak, known locally as Falchan Kangri in Balti, is widely described as the world’s 12th-highest mountain, though sources give slightly differing elevations of 8,047m and 8,051m (26,414ft) ExplorersWeb Climbing Desnivel. News of the avalanche was first carried by Everest Chronicle before being confirmed by the ACP and by Mingma David Sherpa of Elite Exped Alpinist Magazine. Four teams were reported on the mountain at the time, led respectively by Sohail Sakhi, Nirmal Purja, an Imagine Nepal team without its usual leader Mingma G, and a Seven Summit Treks group. Purja’s broader climbing record, including the completion of the 14 Peaks Challenge without supplemental oxygen in 2024, had made him a prominent figure in high-altitude mountaineering, though Climbing also noted that two women had accused him of sexual assault following the release of his Netflix documentary, allegations a 2025 podcast series later questioned.

What is not yet confirmed

Reporting has not settled on a single elevation for Broad Peak, nor on the precise time or altitude at which the avalanche occurred. It remains unclear whether one avalanche or two were responsible. The fate of three climbers reported missing by the ACP had not been confirmed at the time of the most recent update, and recovery teams said they would continue searching when conditions allowed Gripped. Discrepancies also remain over spellings of names, including Mallory Geis and Nadhira Al Harthy, and over the exact sequence in which deaths were confirmed publicly, with the ACP president asking Elite Exped to withhold information until rescuers had physically reached the climbers Climbing.

Sources referenced

Written by Andoram by combining 5 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 3 Sep 2026 00:15 UTC.

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