Rescuers in Pakistan have located four bodies following an avalanche on Broad Peak, with efforts ongoing to find the six other climbers who remain missing. Officials stated that recovery operations for the four deceased climbers were underway despite challenging weather conditions.
The climbers lost contact with their base camp on Thursday after an avalanche struck while they were attempting to ascend the mountain, according to Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. Army helicopters have been deployed to assist in the search and rescue operation.
The expedition included climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the United States, and China. Among the missing is renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a Nepal-born former British Army soldier known as Nims Dai. Purja gained fame for climbing the world's 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement documented in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible."
Also among the missing is American climber Mallory Geis, 39, of San Antonio, Texas. This was reportedly Geis's first attempt at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan. Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, a guide for the travel company Moving Mountains, was also part of the expedition and was expected to make this his final major climb.
Broad Peak, situated in Pakistan's Karakoram range, stands at 26,401 feet and is the world's 12th-highest mountain. The region is known for attracting climbers globally, but expeditions face inherent risks due to avalanches and unpredictable weather patterns.