In brief
Renowned Nepali‑born mountaineer Nirmal Purja, famed for scaling all 14 highest peaks in six months, was killed in an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak on 8,047 m. Elite Expeditions confirmed the death of Purja along with nine other climbers, marking the first time all members of a ten‑person ascent have perished. German officials reported the bodies of three climbers—including the American Mallory Geis and the Nepali Pur Bahadur Gurung—had been recovered. The tragedy has shocked both Pakistan and Nepal, prompting condolences from Nepal’s Prime Minister and memorials for the athlete’s historic achievements in the Karakoram range.
Renowned mountaineer and former British Army soldier Nirmal Purja is among those killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan, his company has said.
Elite Expeditions announced the loss on social media, expressing profound sadness and immense heartbreak at the confirmation that Purja had died this Thursday.
The company also confirmed that the other nine members of the expedition perished. The group of ten climbers fell into a massive snowslide on Broad Peak, the 26,400‑ft (8,047‑m) summit in the Karakoram range.
Pakistani officials had earlier confirmed that the bodies of three climbers – American Mallory Geis, Omani Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy and Nepali Pur Bahadur Gurung – were recovered. Purja’s death was subsequently verified by Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who posted: “The tragic death of six Nepalese and four foreign climbers in the Karakoram has shocked us.”
Purja, 43, was best known for completing all 14 eight-thousanders in just over six months in 2019 and for starring in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” (2021).
Broad Peak, first ascended by an Austrian expedition in 1957, has hosted numerous climbers and dozens of fatalities. The most fatal year to date was 2013, when at least six climbers died.
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