Search and rescue operations are underway in Pakistan after an avalanche struck a climbing expedition on Broad Peak on Thursday. Renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja is among 11 climbers caught in the slide, with officials confirming at least three deaths as rescuers battle harsh weather to locate survivors.
The disaster occurred on the 8,047-metre (26,400ft) summit of Broad Peak, located on the border between Pakistan and China. According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), the entire team has been out of communication since the avalanche hit. The multinational group was led by Nirmal Purja, a former British special forces member who gained global fame in 2019 by climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000m-plus mountains in just over six months.
Casualties and the Search for Survivors
Official confirmation of the death toll varies slightly by source. A spokesperson for police in the Gilgit-Baltistan region stated that preliminary reports indicate that four bodies have so far been recovered. However, Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the ACP, provided a more specific count of the deceased.
Irfan Arshad Khan, ACP President, confirmed the death of three climbers, noting that two bodies and a body part of another climber had been received.
Three of the deceased have been identified as Mallory Geis of the United States, Nadhira Alharthy of Oman—the first Omani citizen to climb Everest—and Pur Bahadur Gurung of Nepal. Their bodies have been moved to a hospital.
Rescue efforts have been complicated by severe weather and the specific logistics of the region. While Nepal maintains a private helicopter rescue network, helicopters in Pakistan are run by the military and are less readily available. Despite this, military aircraft remain on standby to assist as soon as operational conditions permit.
GPS Tracking and the Status of Nirmal Purja
Data from trackers carried by the climbers suggests the avalanche struck around 9 a.m. local time on Thursday at an altitude of 6,579 metres (21,585ft). The slide occurred on the mountain’s west ridge, the most popular ascent route, between camp two and camp three. The violence of the descent varied significantly by individual; Mallory Geis’s tracker showed a sudden drop of 543 metres, while Nadhira Alharthy’s showed a much larger descent of 1,651 metres.
The tracking data for Nirmal Purja, however, has provided a potential glimmer of hope. Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, a member of the Nepali house of representatives and Purja’s business partner, noted that Purja’s location shifted after the initial rapid descent.
Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche. But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again. Mingma Gyabu Sherpa
This shift in coordinates has prompted a specific targeted search. Mingma confirmed that a team consisting of one Pakistani and one Nepali climber has traveled overland toward the base of the mountain to investigate reports that one person’s location appears to be near the foot of the mountain. He cautioned, however, that there is no current indication of Purja’s actual condition.
Mobilization of Regional Rescue Resources
The search operation has expanded beyond official military and police channels. Local Pakistani climbers have volunteered to assist, alongside Nepali climbers who have paused their own expeditions on the nearby K2 to help.
Drones have been deployed to scan the slopes, and the ACP reported on Friday that seven climbers had been spotted via aerial drone footage, though their identities and physical condition remain unverified. These visual searches were forced to halt as night fell on Friday due to the extreme conditions.
The stakes of the mission are high, not only due to the fame of Purja but because of the ongoing danger to the rescuers. Ayaz Shigri, secretary general of the ACP, told the BBC that rescuers are concerned about the risk of further avalanches, which may limit the ability of ground teams to reach the site.
The outcome now depends on a volatile combination of weather windows and the accuracy of the shifting GPS data. While the recovery of bodies confirms the lethality of the slide, the unexplained movement of Purja’s tracker remains the primary focus for those hoping for survivors at the base of the mountain.
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