Ten climbers are missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range. The group, caught around midday on the 8,047-meter mountain, includes renowned mountaineer Nirmal "Nims" Purja. Communication with the entire expedition completely cut off right after the slide.
When weather windows open in the Karakoram, everyone moves at once. That rush often creates deadly bottlenecks on the world's highest peaks.
The Incident on Broad Peak
The avalanche hit the upper slopes of Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain. The international team led by Purja's EliteExped group was pushing toward the summit when the wall of snow came down.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that ten individuals are unaccounted for. Alongside Purja, the missing climbers include five Nepali mountaineers, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi from Hunza, Omani mountaineer Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified as Wang, and one other foreign climber.
Tracking devices worn by members of the expedition showed sudden altitude drops and shifts off-route into dangerous icefall zones. Ground teams and agencies lost all signals shortly after midday.
The Rescue Response and Challenges
Major General Irfan Arshad, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, mobilized coordination efforts with government authorities immediately. However, high-altitude rescues in the Karakoram depend heavily on weather conditions.
Helicopters cannot fly safely into active storm systems or high winds. Mingma David Sherpa, co-founder of EliteExped, noted that search flights were slated to launch as soon as the morning skies cleared.
Finding missing climbers in an avalanche debris field on an 8,000-meter peak is a race against time and freezing temperatures. Standard search-and-rescue protocols rely on active beacon signals, visual sweeps, and experienced Sherpa teams navigating unstable seracs.
Who Is Nims Purja?
Nirmal Purja, widely known as Nimsdai, became a household name following his documentary chronicling his historic push to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in just six months and six days. A former British Special Boat Service soldier, he reshaped modern Himalayan mountaineering by commercializing rapid, oxygen-supported ascents and heavy rope-fixing operations.
This expedition on Broad Peak is part of his broader self-declared project to repeat climbs across the 14 peaks. Just days prior, he summited Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen.
Realities of the Karakoram Summer Season
The Karakoram summer window is notoriously narrow. Hundreds of climbers flock to peaks like K2, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrums during July, hoping for stable weather.
That concentration of people increases exposure to objective hazards. Avalanches, falling ice, and extreme altitude sickness do not care about a climber's resume or past records.
Emergency operations remain active as teams wait for a break in the weather to scan the slopes of Broad Peak.
