The bodies of renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and three fellow climbers were recovered on Sunday from Broad Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan, three days after an avalanche struck their expedition and all 10 members of the team were reported missing.
A day earlier, expedition organiser Elite Exped confirmed that every member of the climbing team, including Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, had lost their lives in the disaster.
By Saturday, rescuers had recovered the bodies of three climbers along with remains believed to belong to an American climber.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) later confirmed that Purja’s body had been located at an altitude of around 5,700 metres on Broad Peak.
In a statement, the ACP said a ground rescue team reached the site where Purja was found and also discovered three additional bodies nearby, whose identities were initially unverified.
The organisation said the remains would be transported to the Japanese Camp before being brought further down the mountain.
The club noted that recovery efforts were being carried out under extremely dangerous conditions and urged the public to rely only on official information, as field reports were still being verified.
In a subsequent update, the ACP identified the three recovered climbers as China’s Wang Zhong and Nepalese climbers Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa. It added that the four identified bodies were being transported towards Camp 1 (C1) by the ground rescue team.
The organisation also reported that rescuers had confirmed the presence of another body at a much higher altitude. However, due to hazardous terrain and prevailing weather conditions, officials said a recovery attempt was unlikely at this stage.
Earlier in the day, ACP General Secretary Ayaz Shigri said the rescue mission faced significant obstacles, including steep slopes, avalanche threats and poor weather that prevented helicopters from taking part in the operation.
The ACP later announced that an eight-member rescue team, comprising Pakistani and Nepali climbers, had reached Camp 1 before 9am to begin search and recovery work on the mountain’s challenging slopes.
Purja’s expedition consisted of 10 climbers, including six from Nepal and one each from Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China.
On Friday, rescuers recovered the bodies of Oman’s Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy and Nepal’s Pur Bahadur Gurung, along with remains believed to be those of American climber Sarah Mallory Geis. The body of Nepal’s Gyalu Sherpa was recovered on Saturday.
Officials also said aerial reconnaissance on Saturday spotted five additional bodies on Broad Peak.
Standing at 8,051 metres, Broad Peak is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is regarded as one of the most technically demanding peaks to climb.
Purja, 43, gained international recognition for completing the ascent of all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres in just six months in 2019, setting a world record. His achievement was later featured in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Before becoming one of the world’s most celebrated climbers, Purja served with the Gurkhas in the British Army and later joined the UK Special Forces.
Fellow mountaineers paid tribute to his contribution to high-altitude climbing. British climber Kenton Cool described him as a charismatic figure whose approach transformed modern expedition guiding.
Honouring his legacy, the ACP described Purja as a man who “made the impossible possible,” saying his achievements elevated Nepal’s mountaineering reputation and inspired climbers worldwide to pursue goals once considered unattainable.
The club expressed condolences to Purja’s family, friends and the global climbing community, saying his influence would continue to inspire future generations of mountaineers despite the tragic loss.
