Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Killed in Pakistan Avalanche, Company Confirms

Tue Sep 08 2026 12:23:08 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

British‑Neapali climber Nirmal Purja dies in a Broad Peak avalanche, confirming 10 fatalities.

Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja was killed in a Broad Peak avalanche that claimed ten climbers, the expedition company said. The Nepalese‑British ascender had stunned the world with his 189‑day 8 000‑meter peak marathon in 2019 and was featured in a Netflix documentary. Officials in Pakistan have recovered bodies of three of his teammates and are still searching for the others. Nepal’s Prime Minister and UK defence figures have issued statements mourning his loss.

Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Killed in Pakistan Avalanche, Company Confirms

Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who grew up in Nepal and served in the British army, was killed Thursday in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan, his expedition company Elite Expeditions confirmed with “profound sadness and immense heartbreak.” The incident claimed 10 climbers, including Purja.

The avalanche struck the 8,047‑meter (26,400‑ft) peak during a multinational expedition led by Purja. Pakistani officials have recovered bodies of three team members – American Mallory Geis, Omani Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy and Nepalese Pur Bahadur Gurung – and are still searching for the remainers.

Purja’s death was also confirmed by Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who said the tragedy “has shocked us” and praised the climbers’ courage. His older brother Kamal wrote to the world that the loss was devastating but that Nirmal’s legacy would live forever.

UK defence secretary Wes Streeting lamented the loss on X, noting that Purja was an inspirational figure who had served in the armed forces for 16 years, including a decade in the special forces. The Alpine Club of Pakistan spokesperson Naila Kiani said the council would announce the deaths only after the bodies are recovered, adding that rescuers had seen some bodies but had yet to reach them.

Purja first captured global attention with his 2019 climb of all 14 8,000‑meter peaks in 189 days – a record that eclipsed the previous by over seven years. An eight‑thousander is a mountain over 8,000 m above sea level.

In a last post to X, Purja explained that he had not planned to climb Broad Peak. He added that he would only have one more mountain left if he succeeded, aiming to be the first person to summit all 14 8,000ers twice without oxygen.