2 Bodies Found as Search Continues for Nims Purja and Missing Broad Peak Climbers, Pakistan

Two bodies have reportedly been found following Thursday’s avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak, as search teams continue looking for renowned mountaineer Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja and the remaining missing climbers.

The avalanche struck Broad Peak (26,414 feet / 8,047 meters) around midday Thursday, July 30, in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range, severing communication with a 10-member international climbing team. Search efforts have been hampered by poor weather, delaying helicopter access to the mountain during the critical first day of the rescue operation.

• Related: Nims Dai Purja Among 10 People Missing After Avalanche Strikes Pakistan’s Broad Peak

According to Thaneshwar Guragain, general manager of Seven Summit Treks, two bodies have been located at the avalanche site, although their identities have not yet been confirmed. “It has been confirmed that two bodies have been found. Now, work is underway to identify whose bodies they belong to,” Guragain told Kantipur.

Guragain said helicopters were initially unable to fly because of poor weather, forcing rescuers to begin searching overland. Some climbers caught in the avalanche were brought back to base camp by ground teams, and it was during that operation that the two bodies were reportedly discovered.

Search helicopters are expected to begin flying from Skardu as soon as weather conditions improve, according to Karrar Haidri, senior vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

Earlier Thursday, the Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that the expedition had lost communication following the avalanche. “The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche,” the Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a statement. The club added that it is working with government authorities and rescue agencies to mobilize all available resources. “Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilized at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions.”

The missing expedition includes climbers from several countries, including Nims Purja and five Nepali climbers, Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan, an Omani climber, an American climber identified as Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber, known only as Mr. Wang, as well as one additional foreign climber

According to Guragain, the missing climbers include members from multiple expedition operators, including Seven Summit Treks, Elite Exped, and Imagine Nepal.

One potentially encouraging development emerged Friday, July 31, when Purja’s co-founder and business partner, Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, said data from Purja’s tracking device indicated movement after the avalanche. “Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche,” Sherpa told Kathmandu Post. “But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again.”

• Related: Nims Purja Shatters Own Speed Record in Historic Everest-Lhotse Traverse

Sherpa cautioned that the tracking data does not confirm Purja’s condition and could not determine whether the movement was caused by the climber, the tracking device itself, or avalanche debris.

Despite the possible tracking signal, Guragain acknowledged that the chances of finding additional survivors are diminishing. “Now the space for hope has become very narrow. The chances are getting very slim,” he told Kantipur.

He added that rescue operations in Pakistan differ significantly from those in Nepal because helicopter missions are conducted primarily by the military and require additional clearances. Limited aircraft availability and persistent poor weather have further slowed aerial search efforts. “Until the helicopter can search from above, the situation cannot be further clarified,” Guragain said.

The avalanche occurred during Pakistan’s summer climbing season, when expeditions typically attempt Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum II, Broad Peak, and finally K2. Guragain said this year’s season has been pushed back by prolonged periods of unstable weather, leaving many teams attempting major peaks later than usual.

Broad Peak, located on the Pakistan-China border near K2, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the Karakoram’s most demanding 8,000-meter peaks. Avalanches remain one of its greatest objective hazards.

The incident comes just nine days after Purja climbed Gasherbrum II (26,362 feet / 8,035 meters) without supplemental oxygen, marking the 57th successful ascent of an 8,000-meter peak of his career. The climb left him with only Cho Oyu remaining to complete his self-declared “Hat-Trick Project”—an attempt to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks three times while also completing the Seven Summits three times. Just three days before his ascent of Broad Peak, Purja shared on Twitter (X) how his plans had unexpectedly changed. After initially intending to climb only Gasherbrum II, he realized that adding Broad Peak would leave him just Cho Oyu away from becoming the first person to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks twice without supplemental oxygen. “Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted,” Purja wrote in his last social media post.

SnowBrains will continue updating this story as more information becomes available.