A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening in Islamabad, Pakistan, for 10 climbers who perished in an avalanche on Broad Peak. Mourners gathered at a sports complex as rain fell, lighting candles and praying for the deceased.
Rescuers described the challenging mission to recover the climbers' remains from one of the world's highest mountains. Search teams concluded an operation that recovered eight bodies; two remain unrecovered.
Among the climbers killed was British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja. Six climbers from Nepal were among the victims of the July 30 disaster, which occurred when a massive avalanche struck an international expedition. The bodies of the six Nepalese climbers have been returned to their families, according to Nepal's ambassador to Pakistan, Rita Dhital.
Pakistani climber Sirbaz Khan, who led the recovery team, stated that his team had hoped to find the missing climbers alive but instead found them buried under snow. Rescuers used shovels to dig out the bodies, then worked to bring them down the mountain using ropes and makeshift stretchers, a process Khan described as difficult.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan reported that the remains of seven climbers, including all six from Nepal, had been repatriated. The club's president, Irfan Arshad Khan, noted that bad weather repeatedly hampered rescue efforts, preventing helicopters from reaching the accident site and forcing rescuers to conduct much of the operation on foot. Eight bodies were eventually brought to a location where they could be airlifted.
The international expedition included climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain, and the United States. Broad Peak, located in the Karakoram range, is the world's 12th-highest mountain at 8,051 meters (26,414 feet) and is situated near K2.