Search continues on foot for climbers killed in Broad Peak avalanche

Teams in Pakistan are searching on foot for the remains of ten climbers who were killed when an avalanche struck Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain, on Thursday. Helicopters remained on standby but could not fly due to adverse weather, the regional government said.

The victims, who came from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain and the United States, were caught in the disaster in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, which the Alpine Club of Pakistan described as one of the country’s deadliest mountaineering incidents. Ground teams have so far located eight bodies, and at least three more were recovered and brought down the mountain on Saturday.

"My heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved families and to the governments and people of China, Nepal, Oman, the United Kingdom and the United States," Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a post on X.

Dar also expressed sympathy for the family of Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi and praised the determination of all those who perished. He commended the rescue and recovery teams and affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue the operation in coordination with the embassies of the affected nations.

Mountaineering accidents are frequent in northern Pakistan because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather. Recovery of foreign climbers’ bodies is typically carried out at the request of their families and governments; if families decline, remains are left at the site of the incident.