Rescuers Continue Search Amid Avalanche Aftermath on Pakistan’s Broad Peak

In Islamabad, efforts to locate 10 missing climbers on Pakistan’s Broad Peak continue following an avalanche. On Friday, rescue teams discovered four bodies, managing to retrieve three despite challenging weather conditions that hampered helicopter flights, according to local authorities. A government statement from Gilgit-Baltistan identified the recovered bodies as those of Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed, and American climber Mallory Geis. The bodies were transported to a hospital for further procedures.

The announcement came shortly after senior government officials reported the discovery of four climbers’ remains under adverse weather conditions. These officials spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The fourth body remains unidentified. Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chief Minister, Amjad Hussain, confirmed that poor weather continued to impede rescue efforts.

The climbers lost contact with their base camp amid an avalanche while attempting to summit Broad Peak. Karrar Haidri, Vice President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, stated, “The team has been out of contact since Thursday,” adding that army helicopters were participating in the operation.

Authorities persisted in searching for the missing climbers on Friday afternoon, planning to resume the efforts on Saturday. According to the Alpine Club, the expedition comprised five Nepali climbers, the Omani and American mountaineers, Pakistani Sohail Sakhi, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and another foreign climber.

On Friday, China’s government was verifying if its nationals were among the 10 missing mountaineers. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning commented, “We will provide assistance to any Chinese citizens in need and are prepared to offer help based on Pakistan’s requirements.”

The expedition was led by renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a British Army veteran from Nepal, known as Nims Dai. In 2019, he scaled the world’s 14 highest peaks in 189 days, a feat chronicled in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.” His record was surpassed in 2023.

Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition was en route to the small town of Askole, wishing them a safe climb of Broad Peak. The company highlighted that this was Geis’s first attempt on an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while for Sakhi, it was possibly the last.

Sakhi, a guide for the company, is also a geographer and high-altitude photographer, having conquered several of the world’s major mountains, as noted by Moving Mountains’ website. Geis, 39, from San Antonio, earlier this year announced on social media her decision to close her pilates studio to “take a leap of faith into the unknown,” expressing a sense that “helmets, harnesses, and crampons” would play significant roles in her future endeavors.

Broad Peak stands at 8,047 meters (26,401 feet) and is the twelfth highest mountain globally. It is part of Pakistan’s Karakoram range, which hosts five of the 14 peaks over 8,000 meters, drawing climbers worldwide.

Climbing accidents are common in northern Pakistan due to avalanches and rapidly changing weather conditions.