Body of mountaineer Nirmal Purja recovered three days after avalanche killed crew

PTC News Desk: The body of veteran Nepalese-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja was recovered on Sunday, three days after he and nine other climbers were swept away by an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Gilgit-Baltistan region, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

The club said Purja's body was found at an altitude of around 5,700 metres. So far, five bodies have been recovered, while search teams continue efforts to locate the remaining five missing climbers.

Officials said the recovery team will transport the bodies to the Japanese camp before bringing them down the mountain. Rescue and recovery operations are being hampered by extremely difficult terrain, steep slopes, the continued risk of avalanches and poor weather, which has also prevented the use of helicopters.

Purja and the other climbers—five from Nepal, one from Pakistan, one from Oman, one from the United States and one from China—were caught in the avalanche on Thursday while climbing Broad Peak in the Karakoram near K2.

"The ground rescue team has reached Nirmal Purja 'Nims Dai' at approximately 5,700m on Broad Peak, where three additional bodies have also been sighted, though their identities remain unconfirmed," the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.

Broad Peak is the world's 12th-highest mountain and is regarded as one of the most challenging peaks for mountaineers. The recovered bodies were later airlifted to Skardu.

Purja was widely regarded as one of the world's greatest mountaineers. In 2019, he set a world record by climbing all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres in just six months and six days, a feat that brought him international recognition.

Before the tragedy, Purja was close to completing another historic milestone—becoming one of the few climbers to summit all 14 eight-thousanders twice after successfully scaling Broad Peak.