Published : 31 Jul 2026, 04:42 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:29 AM
A 10-member international mountaineering team led by Nepal-born former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja has been feared missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in Pakistan, the BBC reports.
Pakistani mountaineering officials said the avalanche hit around midday on Thursday on the 8,047-m or 26,400ft peak in the Karakoram range.
There has been no communication with the team since.
The British broadcaster said the group includes an American, a Chinese national, an Omani and five Nepalis, alongside expedition leader Purja.
Purja is known for climbing all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000m in just over six months in 2019.
"We are coordinating with the authorities and trying to arrange a helicopter rescue on Friday morning Pakistani time depending on weather condition," Karrar Haidri, vice-president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told the BBC.
Broad Peak is regarded as one of the more challenging mountains for expeditions and is the world's 12th-highest peak.
In a separate statement, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said it had remained "in constant contact" with the authorities to ensure "all available resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity".
"The Club prays for the safety and successful rescue of all the climbers and stands in solidarity with their families and the international mountaineering community during this difficult time," it added.
Purja joined the British Army in 2003 before becoming a Royal Marine in 2009.
His climbing career began after he walked to Everest Base Camp in 2012 and decided to climb the mountain instead of returning as originally planned, as per the BBC.
