SKARDU, PAKISTAN — A major search-and-rescue operation is underway on Broad Peak (8,047 meters / 26,401 feet) after a massive avalanche swept through a 10-person international climbing team on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
The expedition; led by world-renowned Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja; was making its way between Camp 2 and Camp 3 when a wall of snow hit the route at an elevation of approximately 6,600 meters. As of Friday, July 31, officials confirm that four unidentified bodies have been recovered, while rescue teams scramble against worsening high-altitude weather to locate the remaining climbers.
Key Facts: Broad Peak Avalanche Incident
- Incident Time & Location: Thursday, July 30, 2026 (~ midday) between Camp 2 and Camp 3 at ~6,600 meters.
- Expedition Outfit: Elite Exped, led by Nirmal Purja.
- Total Team Members: 10 climbers (6 Sherpas/guides and 4 international clients).
- Status: 4 bodies retrieved from the avalanche field; identities pending official verification.
- Search Efforts: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) military helicopters, aerial drones, and ground parties are deployed out of Skardu.
Full Roster of Missing Expedition Members
The 10-person team includes elite Nepali high-altitude guides alongside international clients:
| Name | Role / Position | Country |
| Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja | Expedition Leader & Guide | Nepal / UK |
| Kili Pemba Sherpa | High-Altitude Guide | Nepal |
| Nima Sherpa | High-Altitude Guide | Nepal |
| Nawang Thindu Sherpa | High-Altitude Guide | Nepal |
| Pur Bahadur Gurung (“Yukta”) | High-Altitude Guide | Nepal |
| Gyalu Sherpa | High-Altitude Guide | Nepal |
| Sohail Sakhi | High-Altitude Guide | Pakistan |
| Mallory Geis | Client | United States |
| Wang Zhong | Client | China |
| Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy | Client | Oman |
Search and Rescue Operations: High-Tech Signals and Weather Delays
Because the entire group was swept off the main track, Base Camp staff did not lose radio contact immediately; rather, the incident was confirmed roughly 12 hours later when GPS satellite tracking units registered a dramatic altitude loss of several hundred meters within seconds.
Ray of Hope: Tracking Beacon Movement
Data from Purja’s personal GPS tracking device showed a sudden rapid descent down the slope, followed by later location shifts near the lower debris zone.
Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, Purja’s business partner and member of the Nepali Parliament, cautioned that while movement doesn’t guarantee physical status or consciousness, it gave ground search units a target coordinate near the foot of the mountain. Ground rescue teams, accompanied by high-altitude Sherpas and local Hunza climbers, have established a search vector around those coordinates.
Aerial Reconnaissance & Ground Challenges
Pakistan Air Force helicopters and specialized monitoring drones were deployed from Skardu early Friday morning. However, operations remain volatile due to high-altitude ground blizzards and extreme wind shears sweeping over the Karakoram peaks.
Route Hazards: Why the Camp 2 to Camp 3 Section Is Deadly
Broad Peak (the world’s 12th-highest mountain at 8,047 m) is often considered technically less demanding than neighboring K2, but the section between Camp 2 (6,250 m) and Camp 3 (7,100 m) is notorious for objective hazards:
- Unstable Firn & Wind Slabs: Above Camp 2, the route transitions from a protective rock spur onto broad, unsheltered snowfields below the Broad Col. Rising mid-day temperatures combined with high wind speed lead to weak snow-layer interfaces.
- Funnel Effect: Steep gullies above 6,500 meters act as funnels. When slab avalanches release on the upper basin, they sweep directly down the narrow climbing corridor.
- Complex Bergschrunds: Near 6,900 meters, hidden crevasses and unstable snow bridges complicate movement, making rapid escape impossible when snow slides release above.
Who Is Nirmal Purja?
Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja, 43, is one of the most celebrated and record-shattering figures in modern high-altitude mountaineering.
- Military & Early Career: Born in Myagdi, Nepal, Purja served 16 years in the British military, including six years in the elite Royal Navy Special Boat Service (SBS). His high-altitude journey began almost by accident in 2012 on a trek to Everest Base Camp, leading to his first 8,000 m ascent on Dhaulagiri in 2014.
- Everest Breakthroughs & Records:
- First Summit & Gurkha Historic Climb: Purja made his first Everest ascent in 2016 while on leave from military deployment. In 2017, he led the historic “G200E” Gurkha Expedition, guiding 13 Gurkha soldiers to the top of Everest to commemorate 200 years of Gurkha service in the British Army.
- Famous “Everest Traffic Jam” Photo (2019): While attempting his record run, Purja took the world-famous photograph of a massive line of climbers queued up near Everest’s Hillary Step. The viral image brought international attention to high-altitude safety and overcrowding.
- Speed Records on Everest: He holds multiple Guinness World Records involving Everest, including the fastest speed traverses of Everest and Lhotse without supplementary oxygen, as well as the world’s fastest triple-header ascent of Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu in under 48 hours. He has summitted Everest 7 times.
- Project Possible (2019): Purja gained international fame by climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in 6 months and 6 days—shattering the previous world record of nearly eight years. His historic feat was featured in the acclaimed Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
- K2 First Winter Ascent (2021): Co-led the all-Nepali 10-climber team that accomplished the historic, long-sought first winter summit of K2 in January 2021 without supplemental oxygen.
- Current Mission (“Hat-Trick Project”): Prior to the Broad Peak avalanche, Purja was pursuing an unprecedented goal: completing three full rounds of summits for all 14 eight-thousand-meter peaks and the Seven Summits.
Official Statements
“Deeply concerned by the reports of an avalanche and the loss of contact with Nirmal Purja ‘Nims Dai’ and fellow Nepali climbers in Pakistan. We are in regular contact with the Pakistani authorities and receiving updates.”
— Khadak Prasad Paudel, Nepal’s Minister for Tourism & Civil Aviation
“Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions.”
— Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP)
This is a developing news story. Updates will be published as official identification of the recovered victims and search results are confirmed by Pakistani and Nepalese authorities.
