Nirmal Purja among 10 climbers feared missing after avalanche on Broad Peak
An international mountaineering team of 10 led by renowned former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja is missing following an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- An international mountaineering team of 10 is feared missing after an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak.
- The expedition is led by renowned Nepal-born former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja.
- The group includes nationals from the US, China, Oman, and five climbers from Nepal.
- Officials are coordinating a helicopter rescue operation dependent on weather conditions.
A ten-member international mountaineering team led by renowned Nepal-born former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja is feared missing following an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, which ranks among the highest mountains globally.
Pakistani mountaineering officials reported that the avalanche struck around midday on Thursday on the 8,047-metre, or 26,400-foot, peak situated in the Karakoram range. There has been no subsequent communication with the climbing team since the incident occurred.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The climbing group reportedly consists of an American, a Chinese national, an Omani, and five Nepalese nationals. Purja, who serves as the expedition leader, gained global recognition for successfully climbing all 14 of the world's peaks exceeding 8,000 metres in just over six months back in 2019.
Broad Peak, located in Pakistan's Karakoram range, is officially ranked as the 12th highest mountain in the world and is widely recognized by mountaineers as one of the most challenging and perilous expeditions due to technical steepness and unpredictable weather patterns, making high-altitude rescue operations exceptionally difficult.
Efforts to locate and assist the missing team are currently underway as authorities monitor the situation closely.
"We are coordinating with the authorities and trying to arrange a helicopter rescue on Friday morning Pakistani time depending on weather condition."
Karrar Haidri, Vice-President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan
Before his mountaineering career, Purja enlisted in the British Army in 2003 and subsequently became a Royal Marine in 2009. His climbing journey commenced when he walked to the Everest base camp in 2012 and spontaneously decided to summit the entire mountain instead of returning as originally planned.
Source: BBC World
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