Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, 43, was among 10 climbers who died in an avalanche on Thursday on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range. The 26,414-foot mountain is the world's 12th tallest.
Elite Exped, the company involved in the expedition, confirmed the deaths in a statement, mourning the loss of Purja, who was leading the group, and the other nine climbers.
"The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers," the company stated. "We mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy."
A Pakistani rescue team recovered three bodies on Friday, including American climber Sarah Mallory Geis. Recovery efforts had to be temporarily suspended due to difficult weather and remote conditions in the area. The search resumed Saturday to recover the remaining seven bodies.
Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, described the loss as immeasurable to the global mountaineering community. He thanked the military, Sherpas, and civilians involved in the rescue mission.
Purja, who was British-Nepali, was featured in the 2021 Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," which chronicled his attempt to summit the world's 14 tallest mountains in seven months. He had previously served in the British army, including with the Gurkhas, and in British special forces.
The climbers who died hailed from various nations, including Pakistan, Nepal, China, and the United States.