Fatal avalanche on Broad Peak claims life of mountaineer Nirmal Purja and team

On July 30, 2026, a massive avalanche struck a group of ten mountaineers on the 8,051-meter Broad Peak in the Karakoram range of Pakistan. Among the victims was the world-renowned Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, famous for summiting all 14 of the world's highest peaks in record time. While early reports from the Alpine Club of Pakistan indicated some climbers were missing or potentially reachable via GPS, the Elite Expeditions company, founded by Purja, subsequently confirmed that all ten members of the expedition perished in the incident.

The recovery operation, coordinated by the Gilgit-Baltistan tourism authorities and the Pakistan Air Force, managed to retrieve the remains of several individuals. Among those identified by local authorities prior to the full confirmation of the tragedy were American Mallory Geiss, Nadira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthi from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung. Pakistani rescue teams continue to operate in the difficult, isolated terrain to secure the site. The expedition members had been attempting a climb on one of the world's 12 highest mountains when the avalanche occurred during severe weather conditions.