The body of Nirmal Purja, the British-Nepali mountaineer who shattered world records by climbing all 14 of Earth’s highest peaks in just six months, has been recovered from Broad Peak in Pakistan following a devastating avalanche that killed 10 climbers. The 43-year-old former British special forces soldier was found at 17,700 feet, ending a multi-day search operation on the world’s 12th-highest mountain.
Deadly Avalanche Claims Elite Climber
The Alpine Club of Pakistan announced Sunday that Purja’s body was located approximately 5,700 meters up Broad Peak in the Karakoram mountain range. Three additional bodies have been sighted on the 26,400-foot peak, though their identities remain unconfirmed. Pakistani officials previously recovered the bodies of three other expedition members: American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal. The Thursday avalanche struck the multinational climbing group led by Purja.
Prince William joined world leaders in mourning the accomplished mountaineer, stating Purja served with distinction as a soldier before becoming one of the greatest mountaineers. Nepal’s Prime Minister expressed shock at the tragic deaths, noting that six Nepalese climbers and four foreign nationals perished in the disaster. Defense officials praised Purja’s military service and mountaineering achievements that inspired people worldwide.
From Military Hero to Mountain Legend
Purja spent 16 years in the British military, including a decade in special forces, before achieving worldwide fame in 2019. He climbed all 14 mountains with peaks above 8,000 meters in just 189 days, demolishing the previous record by more than seven years. His extraordinary accomplishment became the subject of the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” which brought his story to millions of viewers. The late Queen Elizabeth awarded him an MBE in 2018 for his achievements in extreme high-altitude mountaineering.
The climber, who lived in Hampshire with his wife and three-year-old daughter, became the first Gurkha to summit Everest while serving in the British military. His brother Kamal described the family’s devastation while expressing pride in Purja’s legacy. In his final social media post published days before the avalanche, Purja revealed he had not originally planned to climb Broad Peak, intending only to tackle nearby Gasherbrum II before changing his expedition plans.
What This Means
The tragedy highlights the extreme dangers faced by even the most experienced mountaineers on Pakistan’s treacherous peaks. Naila Kiani, a spokesperson for the Alpine Club of Pakistan who climbed with Purja on multiple expeditions, praised his leadership skills and described him as a fearless and experienced climber. The Alpine Club confirmed ground teams would transport recovered bodies to a Japanese camp. The mountaineering community has lost one of its most accomplished and inspiring figures, whose record-breaking achievements demonstrated what human determination and self-belief could accomplish against seemingly impossible odds.