Pakistani rescuers find four bodies of missing climbers after avalanche

Rescuers searching for ten climbers missing following an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak located four bodies and recovered three of them, officials reported via AOL.

The regional Gilgit-Baltistan government identified three of the recovered bodies as Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed, and American climber Mallory Geis according to the Deccan Chronicle. The bodies were transported to a hospital.

Media additions

Search teams located the remains of four climbers despite harsh weather according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The fourth body spotted by rescue crews was not immediately identified.

Adverse weather continued to hamper the rescue effort, according to a statement from the Gilgit-Baltistan region's Chief Minister Amjad Hussain.

The climbers lost contact with their base camp after an avalanche struck Broad Peak while they were attempting to scale the mountain, said Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. Army helicopters participated in the search-and-rescue operation according to Haidri, who noted that the team had been out of communication since Thursday.

Authorities confirmed that the search for the missing climbers continued until Friday evening and would resume Saturday according to reporting from AOL.

Expedition Details and Missing Climbers

According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the expedition comprised five Nepali climbers in addition to the Omani and American climbers, as well as Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and one other foreign climber reported by AOL.

China’s government stated it was trying to verify whether any of its nationals were among the ten missing climbers according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"We will provide assistance to Chinese citizens in need and are also willing to offer help in accordance with the needs of the Pakistani side,"

Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, via AOL

The expedition leader was the renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a Nepal-born former soldier in the British army widely known as Nims Dai reported by AOL. Purja climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible,” though his record was surpassed according to the same report.

Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition team was on its way to the small town of Askole and wished them a safe journey climbing Broad Peak according to AOL. The company stated this was Geis’ first try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while it was expected to be Sakhi’s final one reported by AOL.

Sakhi serves as a guide for the company, as well as a geographer and high-altitude photographer, and has climbed some of the world’s major peaks according to Moving Mountains’ website.

Mountain Profile and Background

Broad Peak, standing at 8,047 meters or 26,401 feet, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain according to AOL. It lies in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, which is home to five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters and attracts climbers from around the globe reported by AOL.

Accidents are common during climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because of avalanches and rapidly changing weather noted by AOL and the Deccan Chronicle.

The Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that six of the ten climbers missing in the avalanche were from Nepal according to the ABC. Nepal received assurances from Pakistani authorities that all available resources would be mobilised for timely search and rescue operations reported by the ABC.

Expedition Timeline and Status

• Late last month: Moving Mountains announced the expedition team was traveling toward Askole to begin the Broad Peak climb per AOL.
• Thursday: Climbers lost contact with their base camp after an avalanche struck Broad Peak according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
• Friday: Rescuers located four bodies, recovering three of them, while adverse weather hampered helicopter flights reported by official sources.
• Saturday: Search operations for the remaining missing climbers are scheduled to resume according to authorities.