Ten international climbers led by a renowned Nepal-born mountaineer are missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in northern Pakistan, one of the world's highest mountains. The Alpine Club of Pakistan received initial reports that the avalanche struck the team led by Nirmal Purja and that the climbers have been out of communication since then, club Vice President Karrar Haidri said in a statement late Thursday. The Alpine Club said the expedition includes Purja and five other Nepalese climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, and Chinese climber Wang Zhong, the BBC reports.
The club's president, Maj. Gen. Irfan Arshad, and its senior leaders were in contact with government officials to facilitate an immediate search-and-rescue operation, the AP reports. The club said every effort was being made to mobilize helicopters and other rescue resources quickly, subject to weather and operational conditions. The 26,401-foot Broad Peak in the Karakoram range is the world's 12th-highest mountain. Nepalese lawmaker Mingma Gyabu Sherpa tells the BBC that climbers from nearby mountains K2 and K3 are descending from their camps to assist the search effort.
Purja, also known as Nims Dai, is a Nepal-born British citizen who scaled the world's 14 highest peaks in 189 days in 2019, holding the record for the fastest climb until a Norwegian woman and her Nepali Sherpa guide set a new record in 2023. Purja's climbs were made into a popular Netflix documentary, 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.
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