Avalanche in Pakistan, there is confirmation: mountaineer Nirmal Purja found dead

The world of extreme sports mourns one of its brightest stars. The famous mountaineer Nirmal Purja died together with other members of his team in a powerful avalanchein Pakistan.

This was confirmed by the mountaineering company he co-founded, after rescuers recovered the remains of three climbers from the expedition of 10 people during a search at high altitude.

The avalanche and disappearance of Nirmal Purja

After the avalanche, which occurred on Thursday, contact was lost with the international expedition led by the 43-year-old British-Nepalese mountaineer on Broad Peak, in northern Pakistan.

“It is with deep sadness and immense sorrow that we confirm that Nirmal Purja has tragically lost his life following the avalanche onBroad Peak,” Purja’s company, Elite Expeditions, announced on social media. “We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition unfortunately did not survive”, he added. The bodies recovered so far, flown by helicopter to hospital for formal identification, include an American woman, an Omani woman and a Nepalese man, the regional government said in a statement.

The man of records

Purja, who served in the British Gurkha Brigade before joining the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines, broke numerous mountaineering records.

In 2019 he climbed the14 highest peaksin the world in just six months, holding the record for the fastest climb until Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila surpassed it four years later. His extraordinary feat was the focus of a popular Netflix documentary,14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.

The Prime Minister of Nepal, Balendra Shah, expressed his condolences for the “tragic” death of Purja and the other climbers, which he said “shocked us”. “The physical journey of all the deceased climbers… has been cut short, but the story of their courage, dedication and contributions will always remain an inspiration,” Shah said in a statement on social media.

The 14 super peaks and the post on X

Police in the northern mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan said rescue teams were at work, after searches were suspended yesterday due to difficult weather conditions.

The avalanche struck while climbers were climbing Broad Peak (8,047 meters) on Thursday and while the team was climbing to an altitude of about 6,600 meters, according to regional authorities. Purja had written in X this week that he was close to becoming the first person to climb all 14 “super peaks” twicewithout oxygen. “Broad Peak, I ask for nothing more than safe passage up and down,” he wrote.

Broad Peak is the twelfth highest mountain in the world, located in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan, and is considered one of the most difficult and technical climbs of all ascents above 8,000 meters.