Arabic version: مقتل نيرمال بورجا في انهيار جليدي على برود بيك

According to BBC News, renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja was among 10 people killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan. Elite Expeditions said it had confirmed with “profound sadness and immense heartbreak” that Purja, 43, died in Thursday’s avalanche on the 8,047m (26,400ft) mountain in the Karakoram range.

Pakistani officials had earlier said the bodies of three climbers from Purja’s expedition had been recovered: American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal. The multinational group was led by Purja. Rescue teams have been searching the world’s 12th-highest summit, while the Alpine Club of Pakistan said rescuers had seen some bodies but had not yet reached them.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the deaths of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including Purja, had shocked the country. Purja’s older brother, Kamal, said his younger brother and the other climbers were no longer with them, adding that the family was proud of him and that his legacy would live forever. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting described Purja as an inspirational man whose mountaineering achievements were known around the world.

Born in Nepal, Purja later served in the British military for 16 years, including 10 years in the special forces. He was awarded an MBE in 2018 for extreme high-altitude mountaineering. In 2019, he climbed all 14 mountains above 8,000m in 189 days, beating the previous record by more than seven years. His achievement was later chronicled in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. In a post published on Monday, Purja said he had not originally planned to climb Broad Peak, but hoped the ascent would leave him one mountain short of becoming the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without oxygen.