Nirmal Purja among 10 climbers missing after Broad Peak avalanche
Ex-Royal Marine and elite climber Nirmal Purja is among 10 mountaineers feared missing after an avalanche struck Pakistan's Broad Peak around midday on Thursday. Officials say there has been no contact since the slide on the 8,047-metre Karakoram peak, and helicopter search efforts are being organised as weather allows.
Key Takeaways
- Nirmal Purja led a 10-member international team feared missing after a Thursday avalanche on Broad Peak.
- Pakistani officials report no communication with the group since the midday slide.
- The Alpine Club of Pakistan is pressing for an immediate search and helicopter support.
- Rescue teams hope to reach the mountain once weather and operational conditions allow.
The developing case sits among other unresolved mountain emergencies covered in our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries hub, where searches and missing-person updates are tracked as facts emerge.
What happened to Nirmal Purja and his team?
According to BBC News, the avalanche hit Broad Peak—an 8,047-metre (26,400 ft) summit in Pakistan's Karakoram range and the world's 12th-highest mountain—around midday on Thursday, 30 July 2026.
Outside Magazine reported that Purja was leading an Elite Exped climb when the slide struck. Tracking data for the expedition showed a rapid descent consistent with an avalanche, and the Alpine Club of Pakistan said the entire team had been out of communication since then.
BBC identified the party as including an American, a Chinese national, an Omani and five Nepalis alongside the Nepal-born expedition leader. Outside named Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, American client Hillary Geis, Omani climber Nathira and a Chinese client known as Wang among those missing, with additional Nepali and Pakistani high-altitude workers still unnamed.
Why does the Broad Peak search matter?
Purja is one of mountaineering's best-known figures. He climbed all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in just over six months in 2019, a feat later chronicled in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Outside reported he had completed an oxygenless ascent of Gasherbrum II on 21 July—his 57th successful 8,000-metre summit—and was pursuing a "Hat Trick" campaign to climb all 14 giants three times. A former British soldier who joined the Army in 2003 and became a Royal Marine in 2009, he remains a high-profile face of Himalayan and Karakoram climbing.
Broad Peak is widely regarded as a demanding objective. The Karakoram's isolation means limited communications and helicopter access, which raises the stakes for any rescue after an avalanche.
What are rescue teams doing now?
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said it had been in constant contact with government authorities to launch an immediate search-and-rescue operation. The club stated that every possible effort was being made to secure helicopter support and mobilise available resources at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions.
Outside said rescue efforts were underway but were not expected to reach the mountain until Friday morning local time. Searchers hope to use a helicopter if weather permits. The club added that it prayed for the climbers' safety and stood with their families and the international mountaineering community.
Details remain limited as officials update the search. Families and followers are waiting for confirmation of contact or location. BlasterPost will continue to follow verified statements from Pakistani mountaineering authorities and major newsrooms as the operation unfolds.