Nirmal Purja, the celebrated Nepali-British mountaineer who climbed all 14 of the world's highest peaks in 189 days, died Thursday in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak. He was 43. His company, Elite Expeditions, confirmed Saturday that none of the other nine members of the expedition survived either.
According to BBC News, Elite Expeditions said it had confirmed with "profound sadness and immense heartbreak" that Purja had died in Thursday's avalanche. The company added that it had "also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive."
The team lost contact with their base camp Thursday after the avalanche struck Broad Peak as they attempted to scale the 8,047-meter mountain in the Karakoram range. Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said there had been no contact since then. Experienced Pakistani climbers and army helicopters were deployed in the search-and-rescue operation.
By Saturday, rescuers had recovered the bodies of three climbers. A local police official, Tahir Khan, said the remains of Omani climber Nathira Ahmed were being flown to Islamabad, while the bodies of American climber Mallory Geis and Nepalese climber Bahadur Gurung remained at a hospital in Skardu, the main city in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Drone teams located the bodies, which were removed by helicopter. Officials noted the remains were in poor condition due to the force of the avalanche.
Geis, 39, lived in San Antonio and had been posting photos of the climb on her Instagram account. CBS News reported it was her first attempt at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan. Earlier this year she had announced on social media that she was closing her Pilates studio to take what she described as a giant leap of faith.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah confirmed Purja's death on social media. "Mountaineering is not merely a journey to reach the summit; it is the ultimate expression of courage, discipline, sacrifice, and the indomitable self-confidence that challenges human limits," Shah wrote. He also said that "the tragic death of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan, has shocked us."
Purja served in the British military for 16 years, 10 of which were in the special forces. He was awarded an MBE by the late Queen in 2018. His 2019 record of climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters was broken in 2023, but the achievement was chronicled in the Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," which brought him wide public recognition. He was also the first Gurkha to climb Everest while serving in the British military.
In his last post on X, published the Monday before the avalanche, Purja said he had not originally planned to climb Broad Peak on this trip. His initial plan was to climb Gasherbrum II. But he realized that adding Broad Peak would leave him just one mountain short of becoming, as he described it, "the first person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen." He wrote: "This wasn't planned. But opportunities don't scream: they whisper to those already working in silence." His final line to the mountain read: "Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up."
His company's statement said: "The world has lost one of the mountaineering's greatest climbers; a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine."
Six people remained missing as of Saturday, with search efforts continuing despite what officials described as fading hopes.
