Mountaineer Nirmal Purja killed in Pakistan avalanche, his company says
Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a former British Army soldier, has been killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan, according to his company. The disaster also reportedly killed the other nine members of the multinational expedition, underlining the dangers of climbing the Karakoram range’s highest mountains.
Pakistani officials had recovered the bodies of three climbers before Elite Expeditions confirmed Purja’s death. The 43-year-old Nepali-born climber became internationally known after climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in 189 days in 2019, and was attempting to become the first person to complete all 14 twice without supplementary oxygen.
In short
- Nirmal Purja died in a Broad Peak avalanche.
- All ten expedition members reportedly died.
- Purja held a major high-altitude climbing record.
Explained simply
Broad Peak is an 8,051-metre mountain in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, near the border with China. It is one of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres, where thin air, severe weather and avalanches make climbing particularly dangerous.
Nirmal Purja is a Nepali-born mountaineer and former British Army soldier. He became widely known in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world’s highest peaks in 189 days, and later set out to climb them all again without extra oxygen.
High-altitude expeditions often involve climbers from several countries and rely on teams to manage routes, supplies and safety. The reported deaths highlight the risks faced by climbers in the Karakoram, including sudden avalanches.