Rescue teams have discovered the body of Nirmal Purja, a prominent Nepali mountaineer who died along with nine others in an avalanche while climbing in Pakistan last week.
Purja, who has made history by climbing the world’s highest peaks over the years, was part of a climbing expedition to the 8,047m Broad Peak in northern Pakistan when tragedy struck.
“His legacy will live on in the countless lives he changed and those he inspired to climb their own mountains,” said an Instagram post published Saturday by the Nimsdai Foundation, which he founded in 2022.
Purja, 43, was one of 10 climbers from multiple countries who went missing after an avalanche in the Karakoram mountains last Thursday.
Pakistani authorities have now confirmed that all 10 people have died.
The Pakistan Alpine Club announced on Sunday that rescue teams had found Purja’s body, but it had not yet been returned to base camp.
“The situation is extremely dangerous,” rescue worker Silvaz Khan told CNN on Monday. “While we were looking for bodies, there were two or three avalanches every day.”
He added: “At one point I yelled to my colleagues to be careful. We saw a body being pushed away.”
“Yesterday, eight Sherpas helped us reach the stuck body of Nims (Purja), which is extremely dangerous,” Khan said.
Like Purja, Khan is also a renowned mountaineer and the first Pakistani to summit all 14 mountains above 8,000 meters (26,300 feet) without supplemental oxygen. This rescue mission marks the 20th time people have climbed Broad Peak.
Khan, from Hunza, cried as he stood on the treacherous slope, expressing his sadness after learning that his neighbors and students were among the dead.
He believes the only way to safely retrieve the remaining climbers is via a “longline” rope dangling from a helicopter, without having to land.
“My heart cannot accept all of this loss,” Purja said.
“We are using drones and helicopters to access the mountain. We are doing our best, but we also don’t want more lives lost in the process.
“Volunteers from the local community came and provided food at the base camp located at the end of the avalanche. We are very happy to be surrounded by such kind and generous people from Pakistan.”
At least five people were confirmed dead, including Purja, Omani climber Nadira Al Harsi, Nepali climber Puru Bahadur Gurung “Yukta” and American climber Sarah Mallory Ghaith.
Nima Sherpa was named as the fifth killer in an Instagram post by the Purja Foundation on Sunday. “There are no words to ease the pain of this unimaginable loss,” the post added. Although nationality is not indicated, Sherpas usually indicate Nepali nationality or descent.
Sherpas and expedition teams took part in the rescue operation last weekend after it was temporarily suspended due to “adverse weather.”
Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains, located at the western end of the Himalayas, are notorious for their unstable weather, with rock slides and avalanches common and the summer climbing season short.
There are four mountains here that are over 26,000 feet (the so-called 8,000 Mountains), including K2 at 28,251 feet, the second highest mountain in the world next to Broad Peak.
Mountain photographer Tesin Raji told CNN that the best weather for summiting the mountain is from July 15 to 30, and that current conditions are more dangerous.
Raji survived an avalanche while climbing Broad Peak last July and spoke about the difficult conditions.
“It was very scary. We were sitting at the base camp and suddenly there was a big explosion and a lot of powder snow fell,” he said.
“I hid behind a huge rock and sat crouched in a ball with my hands on my head to protect my head and bones from falling objects.”
“Everyone who climbs the Karakoram Mountains is trained on how to stay safe in the event of an avalanche, because avalanches occur very frequently in this region and at this altitude. But there is always danger.”
Recovery efforts for the remaining climbers continue.
On Saturday, emergency workers told CNN they were concerned about the possibility of another avalanche disrupting their work.
Purja, a former British Army soldier, raised the profile of climbing on the world stage by repeatedly breaking records as a measure of endurance. In 2019, he made history by climbing all 14 of the world’s mountains above 8,000 meters (26,300 feet), dubbed the Eight Thousand Mountains by NASA, in just over six months.
Kiani, who has climbed with Purja before, described Purja as “very fearless” and said: “He made the impossible possible.”
Purja told CNN in a 2019 interview that he wanted to use his platform to celebrate the skills of Nepal’s Sherpa people. “Even though they were top climbers, they weren’t getting the proper recognition,” Purja says. “Hopefully, we could elevate their names.”
Omani mountaineer Al Hirsi, who died on Thursday, also spoke in a previous interview with CNN about his ambition to climb one of the Eight Thousand Peaks. She used her profile to empower other Muslim women and girls, including her 32 nieces, to try their hand at endurance sports.
“Our faith… it makes you rise again. It gives you strength and gives you strength,” Al-Hersi said in 2021. “(My nieces) are very strong and they are standing up for their rights,” she added. “I always wake up in the morning and say, ‘Alhumdulillah, thank God I’m here.'”
