KATHMANDU: A major search and rescue operation was underway on Friday to locate 10 climbers, including renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who went missing on Broad Peak in Pakistan after an avalanche struck the mountain around midday on Thursday.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), the missing climbers include six Nepalis, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese climber.
The Nepali climbers have been identified as Nirmal Purja, Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa. The other missing climbers are Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman, Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan, Wang Zhong of China and Mallory Geis of the United States.
In a statement issued Friday, ACP Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri said that two Pakistan Army Aviation rescue helicopters carrying rescue personnel and specialized equipment had been dispatched to support the ongoing operation.
The ACP said its leadership was in continuous coordination with government authorities and relevant agencies to facilitate the rescue efforts.
“Every possible effort is being made to mobilize helicopter support and all available rescue resources at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions,” the statement said.
The club added that it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with all stakeholders while expressing solidarity with the climbers’ families and the international mountaineering community.
ACP General Secretary Ayaz Shigri told Dawn that several expedition teams had begun their summit push together before the avalanche occurred. GPS signals received from some of the missing climbers suggest that the avalanche may have swept the group about 1,000 meters downhill, leaving them trapped.
Shigri said helicopter-assisted rescue operations were expected to begin Friday morning and noted that there were concerns that some local high-altitude porters might also have been affected.
“We pray for the safety of all the climbers. It is a big incident,” he said.
Purja, 43, is one of Nepal’s most celebrated mountaineers. A former member of Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas and the Royal Marines’ Special Boat Squadron, he has set multiple climbing records. In 2019, he climbed all 14 mountains above 8,000 meters in six months and six days, a world record at the time. In 2021, he was also part of the first team to complete a winter ascent of K2.
Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, who hails from Hunza, had successfully summited Kanchenjunga (8,586m) in Nepal earlier this year. He has previously climbed K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen, earning a reputation as one of Pakistan’s strongest high-altitude climbers.
