Nirmal Purja confirmed dead in Broad Peak avalanche

Nirmal "Nimsdai" Purja, the British-Nepali mountaineer who captivated the world by summiting all 14 of the planet's 8,000-meter peaks in just over six months, was confirmed dead on Saturday after an avalanche swept his 10-member expedition off Broad Peak in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region. He was 43.

"Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak," his expedition company Elite Exped said in a social media post on Saturday. The company added that "other members of the expedition sadly did not survive."reuters

A Fatal Decision

The avalanche struck around midday on Thursday, July 30, while the team was ascending at approximately 6,600 meters on the 8,051-meter mountain, the world's 12th highest. The expedition comprised 10 climbers — Purja and five other Nepalis, along with a Pakistani, an Omani, an American, and a Chinese climber.gulfnews+1

According to National Geographic, other expeditions had already left Broad Peak over concerns about heavy snowfall that began around July 22. David Klein, a Hungarian climber who had been at base camp for a month, said he packed up and departed on July 25 because the fresh snow had not had time to consolidate. "After lots of snowfall you don't only want good weather," Klein said. "You want a few days of good weather in which there is no snowfall, but you are not moving because the snow has to do one of two things. It has to stick to the mountain or it has to slide down."nationalgeographic

"Data from their tracking devices indicates that they were thrown hundreds of metres down the mountainside," Naila Kiani from Pakistan's Alpine Club told Le Monde.gulfnews

The Dead and the Search

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah confirmed the deaths of all six Nepali climbers on the expedition, including Pur Bahadur Gurung ("Yukta"), Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, and Gyalu Sherpa, in addition to Purja. Among the confirmed dead from the broader team are American climber Mallory Geis and Omani climber Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy, the first Omani woman to summit Everest.cnn+2

Rescue operations involving the Pakistani military and local high-altitude climbers resumed Saturday after being suspended due to poor weather. Authorities reported spotting additional bodies via drone footage.rte

A Legacy Cut Short

Purja, a former Gurkha who became the first Nepali to join Britain's Special Boat Service, completed his record-breaking "Project Possible" — climbing all 14 eight-thousanders — in six months and six days in 2019. His 2021 Netflix ↘ 2.00% documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible" brought him global fame.reuters

Days before his death, Purja posted on X that Broad Peak was the second-to-last summit he needed to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen. "Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down," he wrote on July 27.firstpost