Top Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Dies in Avalanche on Broad Peak in PoK
Ten climbers were swept away by an avalanche on Broad Peak’s standard West Ridge route in Pakistan’s Karakoram on Thursday 30 July 2026, between Camp 2 and Camp 3. By 1 August, multiple bodies had been recovered and Elite Exped had confirmed the deaths of high-profile mountaineer Nirmal Purja and guide Nima Sherpa, though full confirmation of the fate of all ten remained incomplete ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Climbing Desnivel.
What happened
The avalanche struck the 8,051m (26,414ft) peak—listed at 8,047m by ExplorersWeb and Desnivel—at an elevation estimated variously at around 6,660m, 6,579m (21,580ft) and 6,600m depending on the outlet ExplorersWeb Climbing Desnivel. Accounts differ on the precise timing: the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) put it around midday, ExplorersWeb’s tracker data suggested roughly 9:20am, Alpinist described it as shortly before noon, Climbing cited GPS evidence placing it between 8:57am and 9:30am, and Desnivel gave 9:30am local time Alpinist Magazine. GPS trackers showed the climbers had stopped ascending around 9:30am Pakistan time before falling several hundred metres. Climbing reported that Mallory Geis’s tracker recorded a sudden descent of 543 metres (1,784 feet), while Nadhira Al Harthy’s showed a drop of 1,651 metres (5,417 feet). Several trackers went stationary above 7,800 metres and stayed that way, according to Alpinist, while Desnivel reported that Elite Exped said Purja’s track appeared to keep moving for a period afterward. Pakistani mountaineer Samson Sharaf, a mentor to guide Sohail Sakhi, told Climbing that an overhang at the site was visible beforehand and that the entire snow-laden face gave way, sweeping across the traverse. According to Imagine Nepal, the group had reached Camp 2 on 29 July with plans to push to Camp 3 that Thursday and attempt the summit on Friday.
The people involved
The ACP’s press release described the party as five Nepalese climbers led by Nims Dai, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, Omani climber Nathira, American Mallory Geis, Chinese climber Mr Wang, and one further foreign climber ExplorersWeb. Climbing and Desnivel named the ten as Nirmal Purja, Sohail Sakhi, Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, Nawang Thendu Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Mallory Geis, Nadhira Al Harthy and Wang Zhong Climbing Desnivel. ExplorersWeb reported that four separate expeditions were represented on the mountain: Sakhi guiding client Geis, Purja leading the Elite Exped team, an Imagine Nepal group operating without leader Mingma G, who was on K2 at the time, and a Seven Summit Treks party. Those named carried varied mountaineering records: Purja, co-founder of Elite Exped, had summited 8,000m peaks 57 times, 29 without supplemental oxygen, and had taken part in the winter ascent of K2 in January 2021. Climbing noted he had completed a record-setting unassisted 14 Peaks Challenge in October 2024 and was pursuing a second oxygen-free round, with Broad Peak intended as his 13th of 14 summits before a planned finish on Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft). Elite Exped said he had added Broad Peak to his season shortly before travelling to Pakistan, having originally planned only Gasherbrum II. Sakhi, from Hunza Valley, held a master’s degree and had summited Nanga Parbat, K2 and both Gasherbrums, and had spoken to ExplorersWeb previously about pay inequity facing Pakistani guides. Geis, 39, of San Antonio, Texas, was attempting her first 8,000m peak after climbing Lobuche East and Mera Peak. Al Harthy, the first Omani woman to summit Everest in 2019, had also—per Desnivel—summited K2 and Nanga Parbat and worked as a geology teacher. Wang Zhong had summited Gasherbrum II alongside Purja on 4 July and was aiming for his 13th 8,000m peak, with his identity confirmed by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa and Nawang Thendu Sherpa each carried extensive high-altitude guiding records, including prior rescue work and multiple 8,000m ascents.
The response
News first emerged through Everest Chronicle before being confirmed by the ACP and Mingma David Sherpa of Elite Exped Alpinist Magazine Desnivel. ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad said he remained in contact with government authorities to coordinate search and rescue, with helicopters to be deployed depending on weather ExplorersWeb. ExplorersWeb reported that ACP representative Naila Kiani said the organisation only learned of the avalanche at 10pm, roughly thirteen hours after it occurred, adding, “We are all shocked”. Two helicopters were scheduled to fly to the mountain on Friday carrying rescuers and oxygen. A 31 July statement from the Commissioner of Baltistan confirmed recovery of three bodies: Gurung, Al Harthy and Geis Climbing, while Desnivel cited Karakorum Expeditions reporting four bodies recovered that morning, with two identified as Al Harthy and Gurung. A further ACP update listed four additional bodies transported to Camp 1 (5,600m/18,368ft): Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa. One body was spotted higher on the mountain but not recovered owing to risk, and Climbing reported that an amputated leg, presumed to belong to one of the still-missing climbers, was also found. Drones identified several other figures whose identities and condition had not been confirmed. High winds since the avalanche were said by Climbing and Desnivel to be hampering rescue work. On 1 August, Elite Exped confirmed via Instagram the deaths of Purja and Nima Sherpa and said it had received word that other team members had not survived, prompting ACP President Irfan Arshad Khan to publicly ask the company to withhold further statements until rescuers reached the climbers.
Background or context
Purja’s profile extended beyond mountaineering into broader public attention through the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” and he had announced his self-described 57th 8,000m summit, Gasherbrum II, less than a week before the avalanche Climbing. Climbing noted that following the documentary’s release, two women accused Purja of sexual assault in a 2024 New York Times feature, and a 2025 podcast series by Poppy Damon raised questions about some of those allegations. Several of the Nepali guides involved carried histories tied to prior disasters and rescues: Gurung came from Luprak, near the epicentre of Nepal’s 2025 earthquake, and Nawang Thendu Sherpa had taken part in a 2025 post-avalanche search on Annapurna. Fundraisers were subsequently organised for victims’ families, including efforts by the Juniper Fund for six Nepali and Pakistani guides, by Chris Lininger for Sakhi’s mother and brother, by Little Monsters Films founders Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin for Gurung’s wife and son, and a separate fund for Kili Pemba Sherpa’s wife, Tashi Lhamu Sherpa.
What is not yet confirmed
The precise time the avalanche occurred remains unsettled, with outlets citing figures ranging from roughly 9am to midday ExplorersWeb Alpinist Magazine Climbing Desnivel. The exact elevation at which it struck is similarly uncertain, with estimates spanning about 6,579m to 6,660m. The fates of Sohail Sakhi, Gyalu Sherpa and Nawang Thendu Sherpa had not been confirmed as of the latest reporting, with Climbing listing them among climbers still unaccounted for on the mountain. The identity of the climber whose body was spotted at a higher location but not recovered remains unknown. The whereabouts and condition of the individuals observed by drone but not identified had also not been established.
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
- 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
- Top Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Dies in Avalanche on Broad Peak in PoK — Deccan Chronicle, 1 Aug 2026, 13:21 UTC
- World-Renowned Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Dies in Broad Peak Avalanche — Ratopati, 1 Aug 2026, 07:00 UTC
- Broad Peak Avalanche: Four bodies recovered; identification awaited after group including top mountaineer Nirmal Purja goes missing — ANI News, 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 3 Sep 2026 21:45 UTC.
