Record-breaking climber Nirmal Purja’s death confirmed days after Broad Peak avalanche

Renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja has died after an avalanche struck an international climbing expedition on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan, his company confirmed on Saturday.

Purja, 43, was leading the team towards the summit of the 8,047-metre mountain when the avalanche hit at an altitude of around 6,600 metres on Thursday. Contact with the climbers was lost shortly afterwards.

“It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” Elite Exped said in a social media statement. The company added that other members of the expedition had also died.

The Hindu reported that rescue teams have recovered the remains of climbers from the expedition, while efforts to reach the others are continuing. Military helicopters, high-altitude porters and local rescuers have been deployed, but poor weather and treacherous terrain have hampered the operation.

The international team included climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China. Tracking data reportedly indicated that the avalanche swept members of the expedition hundreds of metres down the mountainside.

Purja served with Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas and the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service before becoming a full-time mountaineer. He gained international recognition in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world’s mountains above 8,000 metres in six months and six days, setting a record at the time.

Before the Broad Peak expedition, Purja said he was close to becoming the first person to climb all 14 of the world’s highest peaks twice without supplementary oxygen.

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah expressed condolences over the deaths, saying the tragedy had shocked the country. He said the climbers’ courage, dedication and contributions would remain an enduring source of inspiration.

Broad Peak, situated in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and was first summited by an Austrian expedition in 1957.