Bodies of climber Purja, 3 others brought to Broad Peak base camp

Kathmandu: The bodies of veteran Nepalese-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja and three other climbers who were killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan, were brought to the mountain’s base camp on Wednesday following a challenging recovery operation.

Purja, popularly known as ‘Nims Dai’, and nine other climbers -- five from Nepal, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese -- were on Thursday last week swept away by the avalanche that struck Broad Peak, located in the Karakoram range near K2. On Saturday, Purja’s expedition enterprise -- Elite Exped -- announced that all members of the group had died.

The bodies of Purja, Zhong Wang of China, and Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa and Kilu Sherpa were recovered from the mountain and transported to the base camp, Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) vice president Rajendra Bahadur Lama said.

“The mission was led by Mingma G, with the support of Sirbaz Khan and the dedicated ground recovery team, whose courage and professionalism made the operation possible under extremely difficult condition,” he said.

Broad Peak (8,051 metres) is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most challenging peaks to climb.

Recovery operations at such extreme altitudes are particularly hazardous because of unstable snow conditions, steep terrain and unpredictable weather, often requiring specialised high-altitude rescue teams.

The NMA expressed gratitude to the Pakistan government, the Pakistan Army, the Alpine Club of Pakistan and all others involved in the recovery operation.