Rescue teams in Pakistan have recovered the bodies of four climbers following an avalanche on Broad Peak, while search operations continue for six others who remain missing in one of the country's most challenging high-altitude rescue missions. Officials said the operation was ongoing on Friday despite severe weather conditions that have complicated efforts to reach the affected area on the 8,051-metre mountain in the Karakoram range. Army helicopters have joined the search as authorities race against time to locate the remaining members of the expedition. Senior government officials confirmed that four bodies had been located during the search but said efforts were still underway to retrieve them safely from the mountain.
The officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, did not disclose the identities of the deceased. Authorities have not confirmed whether the recovered bodies belong to members of the missing expedition team, and identification is expected only after recovery and verification procedures are completed. Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said communication with the expedition team had been lost since Thursday, prompting an extensive search-and-rescue operation. He said Pakistan Army helicopters were assisting ground rescue teams in the difficult mission, while officials remained in contact with the families of the missing climbers. The rugged terrain, high altitude, and unstable weather have significantly slowed rescue efforts, making access to the avalanche-hit area extremely difficult.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the expedition consisted of an international team of experienced mountaineers. The group included five Nepali climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi from Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and another foreign climber. The multinational composition of the team highlights the global appeal of Pakistan's towering peaks, which attract climbers from around the world every year despite the considerable risks associated with high-altitude expeditions.
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The expedition was led by renowned Nepal-born mountaineer Nirmal Purja, widely known as Nims Dai. A former soldier in the British Army, Purja gained international recognition after scaling the world's 14 highest mountains in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement documented in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible. Although that record was surpassed in 2023, Purja remains one of the most respected figures in modern mountaineering and has led several ambitious expeditions across the Himalayas and Karakoram. It remains unclear whether he was directly affected by the avalanche, and officials have not provided further details about the condition or whereabouts of individual team members.
Pakistan-based travel company Moving Mountains had announced late last month that the expedition had departed for the remote town of Askole, the gateway to several of the country's highest peaks, before beginning the climb of Broad Peak. The company had described the expedition as American climber Mallory Geis' first attempt at an 8,000-metre mountain in Pakistan, while noting that veteran Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi was expected to make his final ascent of Broad Peak. Broad Peak, located near K2 in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, is the world's 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most demanding climbs due to its extreme altitude, unpredictable weather, and avalanche-prone slopes. Rescue teams have vowed to continue searching for the remaining missing climbers as weather conditions permit, while families anxiously await updates on the fate of their loved ones.
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