Renowned climber Nirmal Purja among 10 missing after Broad Peak avalanche

An avalanche struck a team of ten climbers on Broad Peak in the Karakoram range on Thursday, leaving the group, which includes Nepali mountaineer Nirmal "Nims" Purja, out of communication, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.

Broad Peak, rising to 8,047 metres, was the site of the incident, which involved climbers from Pakistan, Oman, China and the United States. The club said it has been in constant contact with government authorities and relevant agencies to launch a search and rescue operation, and that helicopter support and other resources are being mobilised as weather permits.

Purja, a former British Army soldier and record-setting high-altitude climber, was planning to attempt Cho Oyu after Broad Peak, aiming to become the first person to summit all 14 eight-thousand-metre peaks twice. He posted on social media before the climb, asking for safe passage.

"The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche," the Alpine Club statement said.

"Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilized at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions," the statement added.

The incident follows Purja’s 2019 achievement of climbing all 14 eight-thousand-metre peaks in just over six months, a feat later documented in a Netflix film. He was also the fastest person to summit the 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen in 2024. The situation remains under investigation and updates are expected as rescue efforts continue.