International climbing team led by former Royal Marine missing after Broad Peak avalanche
A ten-person expedition on Pakistan's Broad Peak was hit by an avalanche, leaving the climbers, including leader Nirmal Purja, unaccounted for and prompting a rescue effort.
A ten-member international mountaineering team led by former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja is feared missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, an 8,047-metre peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range, on Thursday around midday. Pakistani mountaineering officials said no contact has been received from the group since the incident.
The expedition included an American, a Chinese national, an Omani and five Nepali climbers. Purja is known for having summited all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks within six months in 2019.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said it has been in constant contact with government authorities to launch an immediate search and rescue operation, and that “every possible effort” is being made to provide helicopter support and mobilise all available resources. The club added that it prays for the safety and successful rescue of all the climbers and stands in solidarity with their families and the international mountaineering community.
Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain, is considered one of the more challenging climbs in the region.