Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who starred in a Netflix documentary, is among six climbers feared dead after an avalanche struck Pakistan's Broad Peak mountain on July 30.
Purja, 43, a former Royal Marine known as "Nims," was leading a 10-person expedition when a wall of snow and ice swept the 8,047-meter peak in the Karakoram range at around 12pm local time. The Alpine Club of Pakistan said it received "deeply concerning reports" of the avalanche and confirmed the team could not be reached since the incident. Broad Peak is the world's 12th-highest mountain.
By Friday, rescuers had recovered four bodies. Two of the dead have been identified: Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman, who was the first Omani to summit Everest, and Pur Bahadur Gurung of Nepal.
The Rescue
The Alpine Club issued a Friday update stating: "Bodies of two climbers have been recovered and sent to Skardu by helicopter. Seven climbers (bodies) have been spotted by drone; however, their condition and identities cannot yet be verified."
Adverse weather hampered helicopter flights, slowing the search. "Ground rescue team will continue search mission first thing in the morning," the club said. "K2 expedition teams have voluntarily cancelled their expedition to focus on this mission."
The club confirmed that "The Government of Pakistan, the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, the Government of Nepal, and the Pakistan Army are all engaged in the rescue mission."
Some hope emerged for Purja. His business partner, Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, a member of the Nepali house of representatives, said GPS data showed unexpected movement from Purja's tracking device. "Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche," Sherpa told Nepali news site Kantipur. "But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again."
"We have received information that one person's location appears to be near the foot of the mountain," Sherpa added. "A search team has gone there to verify." Per CNN, the GPS locations of four climbers were also visible, according to Alpine Club general secretary Ayaz Ahmed Shigri.
The Expedition
Purja's team included Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, and Gyalu Sherpa from Nepal; Al Harthy from Oman; Sohail Sakhi from Pakistan; Wang Zhong from China; and Mallory Geis from the United States, alongside Gurung.
Geis, 39, who lives in San Antonio, closed her Pilates studio earlier this year to pursue mountaineering. She wrote on social media that she was taking "a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved."
A Facebook post on June 28 announced Geis and Sakhi's attempt: "Moving Mountains is excited to announce our team for Broad Peak 2026 is on their way to Askole. Sohail Sakhi from Pakistan and Mallory Geis from the US will be attempting the mountain in the coming weeks. This marks Sohail's last 8000m peak in Pakistan and Mallory's first attempt. Our safe wishes to the team as they begin the journey."
A Record-Breaking Career
Purja rose to global fame in 2019 when he climbed all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 meters in just 189 days, beating the previous record by more than seven years. The journey was the subject of the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, released in 2021.
"It has been a grueling but humbling six months, and I hope to have proven that anything is possible with some determination, self-belief and positivity," Purja said after completing the challenge. "I could not have made it happen without the unending support of my friends and family who have been in my heart this entire time. We started with nothing, but look how far we've come."
Born in a village in western Nepal, Purja joined the Brigade of Gurkhas as a teenager and later served in the Special Boat Squadron. He spent 16 years in the British military, 10 in special forces, and was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2018 for his achievements in extreme high-altitude mountaineering. He was the first Gurkha to join the elite unit.
Purja has climbed Everest six times, most recently in 2022. In 2016, he rescued a climber left stranded in the death zone, bringing her to safety alone. Through his foundation, he funded education programs and mountain clean-ups, and built a porter's house on the Everest route to provide safe housing for support staff.
