Pakistani rescue teams located four bodies and recovered three of them Friday following an avalanche on Broad Peak that left 10 climbers missing. The Gilgit-Baltistan regional government identified the recovered victims as Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed, and American climber Mallory Geis. The bodies were transported to a hospital. One additional body was spotted but remained unidentified at the time of the announcement.
The climbing team lost contact with base camp after the avalanche struck Thursday while they were attempting to ascend the 8,047-meter peak. Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed the communication loss and noted that army helicopters were participating in the search-and-rescue operation. Adverse weather conditions significantly hampered the rescue efforts, with flights by search helicopters restricted. Regional officials stated that the search would continue through Friday evening and resume the following day.
The expedition group consisted of five Nepali climbers, one American, one Omani, one Pakistani, one Chinese climber, and one additional foreign climber. The expedition was led by renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a Nepal-born former British Army soldier known as Nims Dai, who achieved global recognition for climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days. For American climber Geis, this represented her first attempt at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan. Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, described as a geographer and high-altitude photographer, was expected to complete his final major expedition.
Broad Peak ranks as the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is located in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. The region experiences frequent climbing accidents due to avalanche hazards and unpredictable weather patterns. China’s Foreign Ministry indicated it was attempting to verify whether any of its nationals were among the missing and offered assistance to the Pakistani authorities as needed.
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