After avalanche: Star mountaineer Nirmal Purja found dead in Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan – The tragic news following the avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan has been confirmed: World-renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, 43, is dead. His company, Elite Expeditions, confirmed the death of the Nepalese climber, who also held British citizenship, on Saturday. “It is with deep sadness and immeasurable heartache that we confirm Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life in the avalanche on Broad Peak,” the company stated.

The previous evening, the regional government of Gilgit-Baltistan announced that the bodies of three other members of the international expedition had been recovered: an American woman, an Omani woman, and a Nepalese man. The search for other missing climbers continues.

The previous evening, the Gilgit-Baltistan regional government announced that the bodies of three other members of the international expedition had been recovered. These include an American woman, an Omani woman, and a Nepalese man. The search for other missing climbers continues.

Nirmal Purja (43) was one of the world’s most famous mountaineers

Photo: IMAGO/Sven Simon

More bodies discovered

The ten-member mountaineering group was on its way to the summit of the 8,047-meter-high Broad Peak on Thursday when they were caught in an avalanche at an altitude of around 6,600 meters. According to the Pakistan Mountaineering Association (ACP), data from tracking devices indicates that the climbers were thrown several hundred meters down the slope.

Broad Peak in the Karakoram Mountains is considered by mountaineers to be one of the less technically challenging eight-thousanders.

Photo: picture alliance/Visually

Rescue operations had to be temporarily suspended due to bad weather conditions. Drone footage also revealed more bodies, the regional government stated.

Purja on one of his mountaineering expeditions

Photo: nimsdai/Instagram

Netflix star and record-breaking mountaineer

Purja was considered one of the world’s most famous mountaineers. He gained international fame in 2019 when he climbed all 14 of the world’s eight-thousanders in just six months and six days. This spectacular achievement was later captured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”

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Most recently, the 43-year-old attempted to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen. In 2021, he and nine other Nepalese climbers also achieved the first winter ascent of K2, located on the border between Pakistan and China.