GUWAHATI: Nepali-born British mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja has been confirmed dead after an avalanche struck an expedition team on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan, his adventure company Elite Exped confirmed on Saturday, August 1.
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Purja was among 10 climbers who went missing after the avalanche hit the mountain while attempting to scale the 8,051-metre peak. Elite Exped said other members of the expedition, including Purja’s climbing partners and guides Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa, also lost their lives.
“It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” Elite Exped said in a statement shared on social media.
The company expressed condolences to the families of all those who died and requested privacy during the mourning period.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the climbers lost contact with their base camp after the avalanche. The expedition team included five Nepali climbers, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed, American climber Mallory Geis, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, Chinese climber Wang and another foreign climber.
Alpine Club of Pakistan Vice President Karrar Haidri said the team had been out of communication since Thursday. Experienced Pakistani climbers and army helicopters were involved in the search and rescue operation.
Located in Pakistan’s Karakoram range near K2, Broad Peak is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most challenging peaks to climb.
Purja was widely recognised as one of the world’s leading high-altitude mountaineers. A former member of the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas and the Royal Marines’ Special Boat Service, he gained global recognition for his record-breaking Himalayan achievements.
In 2019, he climbed all 14 of the world’s highest mountains above 8,000 metres in a record 189 days. His feat was later documented in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”