Nirmal Purja and Nine Others Killed in Broad Peak Avalanche

Renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja and nine other members of his expedition were killed when an avalanche struck their team on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range on Thursday, July 31, 2026. The disaster cut off all communication with the group, according to Elite Expeditions, the climbing company Purja co-founded, which confirmed the deaths on social media with "profound sadness and immense heartbreak."

The expedition comprised 10 people led by Purja: five Nepali climbers, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American, one Chinese national, and one other foreign climber. Tracking devices carried by the climbers showed a rapid loss of altitude, indicating the team was thrown hundreds of metres down the mountainside by the force of the avalanche.

The bodies of three climbers — American Mallory Geis, Omani Nadhira Alharthy, and Nepali Pur Bahadur Gurung — were recovered and transported to hospital for formal identification. Rescue operations were conducted by the Pakistani army under challenging terrain and high-altitude weather conditions, using military helicopters and drones, with search efforts paused at times due to adverse weather.

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah confirmed the deaths, stating that "the tragic death of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan, has shocked us."

Broad Peak is the world's 12th-highest mountain, standing at 8,047 metres (26,400 feet), located in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan. The peak was first summited in 1957 by an Austrian expedition and is regarded as one of the more challenging 8,000-metre peaks; dozens of climbers have lost their lives on it.

Purja climbed all 14 of the world's mountains above 8,000 metres in six months and six days between April and October 2019, breaking the previous record by more than seven years. This achievement was chronicled in the 2021 Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," according to center-left outlets.

Purja served in the British military for 16 years, including 10 years in the special forces. He served first with the Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Service. He was awarded an MBE by the late Queen in 2018 for his achievements in extreme high-altitude mountaineering, as reported by British outlets.

Purja was aiming to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplementary oxygen. He wrote on X that Broad Peak was key to achieving this goal.

Center-left and center outlets reported that the avalanche struck at approximately 6,579–6,600 metres altitude, between camps two and three on Broad Peak's west ridge, the mountain's most popular ascent route, based on GPS tracker data analysis.

Center-bias outlets France 24 reported that the Alpine Club of Pakistan received "deeply concerning" reports on Thursday that an avalanche had struck the team, with the entire expedition out of communication since the incident.

The Guardian reported that Purja's tracking device shifted location after the initial rapid descent, differing from the pattern of other climbers' trackers, citing Purja's business partner Mingma Gyabu Sherpa.

Center-left and center outlets reported that Purja led the first team to summit K2 in winter in 2021, alongside nine other Nepalese climbers.

The Guardian alone reported that Purja's 14-peak speed record was surpassed in 2023, and that he used his climbing exploits to showcase what he felt were the overlooked abilities of Nepali climbers.

Only BBC reported that Purja was the first Gurkha to climb Everest while serving in the British military.

The Guardian also reported that a Nepali climber named Nima Sherpa was among those who died in the avalanche, a detail not confirmed by other outlets in this coverage.

The Guardian alone noted differences in rescue capacity between Pakistan and Nepal: in Pakistan, helicopters are run by the military and are less available, while Nepal has a well-established network of private helicopter search and rescue operations.

The Guardian reported that Purja had been accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour, a claim he denied. No other outlet in this coverage mentioned the allegation.