Published: July 31, 2026
ISLAMABAD / KATHMANDU — A major international search-and-rescue operation has been launched in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range after a powerful avalanche struck the upper reaches of Broad Peak (8,047m), leaving world-famous Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja and nine other climbers missing.
Communication with the 10-member expedition was abruptly severed around midday on Thursday, July 30, when the wall of snow and ice swept through the climbing route between Camp 2 and Camp 3 at an elevation of approximately 6,600 metres. With high-altitude conditions deteriorating, Pakistani military and civilian rescue agencies are working feverishly alongside Nepali expedition leaders to coordinate aerial and ground sweeps.
What We Know About the Avalanche
According to reports from the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), the expedition was mid-way through its summit push on Broad Peak—the world’s 12th-highest mountain—when the avalanche hit.
Because the entire team was caught in the slide, base camp personnel and regional authorities only received detailed confirmation hours later, after tracking systems registered rapid elevation drops down the mountain.
“The entire team has reportedly been out of direct communication since the avalanche,” confirmed Karrar Haidri, Vice President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, in an official statement.
The Missing International Team
The 10-person climbing party represents a diverse group of high-altitude veterans and client mountaineers:
- Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja (Expedition Leader – Nepal/UK)
- 5 High-Altitude Nepali Climbers / Guides
- Sohail Sakhi (Pakistani climber from Hunza)
- Nathira / Nadhira (Climber from Oman)
- Mallory Geis (Climber from the United States)
- Wang (Climber from China)
- 1 Additional Foreign Climber
The expedition brings together teams from prominent operators, including Elite Exped, Seven Summit Treks, and Imagine Nepal Treks, working alongside local Pakistani high-altitude guides.
GPS Tracking Offers a Glimmer of Hope
While initial satellite data showed several devices dropping hundreds of metres below the standard climbing route—indicating team members were swept downhill by the force of the slide—one critical signal has offered rescuers a ray of hope.
Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, Purja’s long-time business partner and Nepal lawmaker, revealed that GPS tracking data registered to Purja’s device continued to show movement well after the avalanche occurred.
“Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche,” Sherpa noted in statements to Nepali media. “But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again.”
Sherpa cautioned that while tracking movement suggests someone may be active or that equipment shifted, it does not provide definitive confirmation regarding physical condition or consciousness.
Rescue Operations & Weather Challenges
Rescue coordination is being spearheaded at the highest level in Pakistan. ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad is working directly with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and military aviation units based in Skardu to deploy high-altitude Eurocopter AS350 B3 rescue helicopters.
However, severe high-altitude weather and low visibility over the Karakoram Range have delayed early aerial sweeps. Ground units, high-altitude rescue personnel, and nearby expeditions are standing by at Broad Peak Base Camp, ready to advance up the route as soon as a weather window opens.
Who is Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja?
Nirmal Purja, 43, is widely regarded as one of the most formidable high-altitude climbers in modern mountaineering history.
- Military Background: A former member of the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas and the UK Royal Navy’s elite Special Boat Service (SBS), Purja spent 16 years in military service before transitioning to full-time mountaineering.
- Project Possible (2019): Purja shot to worldwide fame after scaling all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in a staggering 6 months and 6 days—shattering the previous world record of nearly eight years. His journey was immortalized in the hit Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
- Winter K2 Ascent (2021): In January 2021, Purja co-led an all-Nepali team to achieve the first-ever winter summit of K2 (8,611m), widely considered one of the greatest feats in high-altitude history.
- Recent Achievements: Just days prior to entering Broad Peak, Purja successfully summited Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen, marking his 57th ascent of an 8,000m mountain as part of his ongoing “Hat-Trick Project.”
Broad Peak: The Karakoram’s Treacherous Giant
Standing at 8,047 metres (26,401 feet) near the border of Pakistan and China, Broad Peak is famous for its massive summit ridge and notorious weather shifts. The section between Camp 2 and Camp 3 features steep ice slopes and snow chutes highly prone to wind loading and slab avalanches during mid-summer summit windows.
The global mountaineering community, government bodies in Nepal and Pakistan, and millions of followers worldwide remain on edge, praying for the safe location and rescue of all ten climbers.
