Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja is among a 10-person international team missing after an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak. A search and rescue operation, hampered by weather, has recovered four bodies. Purja is famous for climbing the world's 14 highest peaks in a record-setting six months in 2019, an achievement featured in a Netflix documentary. Communication with the entire team was lost after the avalanche struck on July 30, 2026.
Broad Peak avalanche
- ▪The missing team includes climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the United States, and China
- ▪Search and rescue teams have recovered four bodies near the avalanche site
- ▪A search operation involving Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters is underway but has been hampered by adverse weather
- ▪A 10-member international mountaineering team led by Nirmal Purja is missing after an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak
- ▪Broad Peak is the world's 12th-highest mountain at 8,047 meters (26,401 feet) and is located in the Karakoram range
- ▪GPS data indicated the avalanche may have swept the group about 1,000 meters downhill
- ▪The missing climbers were identified as six from Nepal, Sohail Sakhi (Pakistan), Nadhira Al Harthy (Oman), Wang Zhong (China), and Mallory Geis (US)
- ▪The avalanche struck the team around midday on Thursday, July 30, 2026, after which communication was lost
Military to mountaineering career
- ▪Purja served in the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas from 2003 and joined the Royal Marines' Special Boat Service in 2009
- ▪Nirmal Purja, 43, is a Nepal-born former British soldier who served in the military for 16 years
- ▪Purja's mountaineering career began in 2012 after a trek to Everest base camp inspired him to start climbing
14 peaks record
- ▪Purja's 2019 speed record was surpassed in 2023 by Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila and Nepali guide Tenjin Sherpa
- ▪In 2019, Nirmal Purja climbed all 14 of the world's peaks over 8,000 meters in a record six months and six days
- ▪After gaining fame, Purja advocated for more recognition for the work of Nepali mountain guides
- ▪In 2021, Nirmal Purja was part of a 10-person Nepalese team that completed the first-ever winter ascent of K2
- ▪His 2019 achievement was featured in the Netflix documentary, '14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.'
Sexual assault allegations
- ▪The allegations included a sexual assault in a hotel room in 2023 and unwanted advances during a K2 expedition in 2022
- ▪Nirmal Purja denied the allegations through his lawyer
- ▪A 2024 New York Times article detailed sexual assault allegations made against Nirmal Purja by two women
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