Following the tragedy of July 30, 2026, on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range, in which ten climbers were caught in an avalanche, it is clear that there are no survivors. Among the dead is the exceptional British-Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal "Nimsdai" Purja. Three of the victims are still awaiting rescue.
As of 6 August 2026
International mountaineering group with well-known names
Among the victims, besides Nirmal Purja, known from the Netflix documentary "14 Peaks," are five other Nepalese climbers: the experienced guides Pur Bahadur Gurung, known as "Yukta," and Kili Pemba Sherpa, known as "Kilu," as well as Gyalu Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, and Nawang Thindu Sherpa. Also on the mountain were the Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, the American Mallory Geis, the Pakistani mountain guide Sohail Sakhi, and the Chinese mountaineer Wang Zhong.
Several of the victims were among the most renowned names in high-altitude mountaineering: Kili Pemba Sherpa was part of the all-Nepalese team that achieved the first winter ascent of K2 in 2021. Gyalu Sherpa held a record for three ascents of Kanchenjunga in a single season. Nadhira Al Harthy was the first Omani woman to summit Everest in 2019. Sohail Sakhi from Hunza had climbed K2, Nanga Parbat, and Gasherbrum I and II, all without supplemental oxygen, and accompanied Mallory Geis on Broad Peak, for whom it would be her first 8,000-meter peak.
The avalanche disaster on Broad Peak
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), an avalanche broke loose on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time at an altitude of about 6600 meters between Camps II and III. GPS tracker data showed that the ten climbers were swept down steep terrain, some for over 1200 vertical meters; contact was lost immediately afterward. Purja's device registered the start of the avalanche at 6659 meters.
The alarm was raised late: According to several people involved, the report only reached base camp around 20 p.m. As a result, an air rescue could not begin until Friday morning at the earliest – an entire day of daylight was wasted. The ACP has not yet commented on the reasons.
There are clues from the surrounding area regarding the events leading up to the accident: Heavy snowfall had begun approximately one week prior. Most teams had already left base camp as a result; among them were David Klein and Ian Overton, who departed on July 25th and described unstable snow conditions and wind-blown crust between Camps II and III to ExplorersWeb. A few expeditions with summit ambitions remained.
A week of rescue under high risk
On Friday, the remains of Nadhira Al Harthy and Pur Bahadur Gurung were recovered from the foot of the avalanche cone, along with those of Mallory Geis. Gyalu Sherpa followed on Saturday. On Sunday, a ground team led by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa ("Mingma G") reached four more victims at an altitude of approximately 5700 meters: Nirmal Purja, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, and Wang Zhong. Initially, due to the conditions, only Kili Pemba Sherpa could be brought down the mountain.
On Wednesday, August 5, Mingma G returned to the avalanche-prone terrain with a small team. The team included Pakistanis Sirbaz Khan, Abid Baig, and Sherbaz Karim, as well as Dipen Gurung and Pemba Chhewang Sherpa from Imagine Nepal. The group reached the rescue site within a few hours, brought the three injured climbers to base camp, and returned safely themselves. The Alpine Club of Pakistan described the operation as one of the most technically demanding rescues ever carried out on the mountain. This resulted in the successful recovery of seven of the ten injured climbers.
Three victims remain behind.
For three families, the search ended without a return. Nawang Thindu Sherpa was located above 6000 meters, in a position deemed too dangerous by rescue teams. Mallory Geis's location is unknown; her death is confirmed by the discovery of her remains. Only Sohail Sakhi's backpack and a destroyed Garmin device were found – he remains missing. His family decided on Sunday to hold a burial without a body and invited relatives and friends to attend prayers.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan stated that it would continue to support all possible efforts to locate and rescue the victim as soon as conditions allowed.
On the neighboring K2, teams immediately abandoned their summit attempts after the accident to participate in the search. In Kathmandu, relatives and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims.