International Climbing Team Feared Missing After Avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak

Nirmal Purja and a 10-member international mountaineering team are feared missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains, on Thursday. Pakistani mountaineering officials said the avalanche occurred around midday on the 8,047-metre peak in the Karakoram range, and there has been no communication with the climbers since the incident.

According to officials, the expedition includes an American, a Chinese national, an Omani, and five Nepali climbers. Purja, the expedition leader and a former Royal Marine, is internationally known for scaling all 14 of the world’s peaks above 8,000 metres in just over six months in 2019.

Alpine Club of Pakistan said it is coordinating with authorities to launch a helicopter rescue operation on Friday morning, subject to weather conditions. The club added that it remains in constant contact with relevant agencies to ensure all available resources are mobilized as quickly as possible, while expressing hope for the climbers’ safe rescue and solidarity with their families and the global mountaineering community.