Nirmal Purja is missing along with nine other climbers after an avalanche struck their expedition team on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan. The organisation said late Thursday that it had received deeply concerning reports of the avalanche hitting the team on the mountain, which stands at 8,047 metres in the Karakoram mountain range. The group, led by Purja, has not been reachable since the incident occurred.
Broad Peak is the twelfth-highest mountain in the world, and it sits among the most demanding peaks on the planet for high-altitude mountaineering. The avalanche struck the team as they made their way through the mountain’s notoriously unpredictable terrain, an area where sudden shifts in weather and snow conditions can put even experienced climbers at serious risk.
Why Is Nirmal Purja Missing on Broad Peak?
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the expedition included ten members in total. Of these, five were from Nepal, one from Pakistan, one from Oman, one from China, and one from the United States, along with another foreign climber whose nationality was not disclosed. The entire team has reportedly been out of contact since the avalanche struck, leaving rescue coordinators with limited information about their exact location and condition.
The club stated that every possible effort was being made to mobilise helicopter support and other available rescue resources as quickly as possible, though operations remain subject to weather and operational conditions. High-altitude rescue missions in the Karakoram range are notoriously difficult, given the region’s thin air, harsh winds, and remote positioning far from major towns or medical facilities.
Who Is Nirmal Purja?
Nirmal Purja, also known as Nims Dai, is a 43-year-old mountaineer widely regarded as one of the most accomplished high-altitude climbers of his generation. He left the British military in 2018 to pursue mountaineering full time and quickly built a reputation for breaking long-standing climbing records.
Between April and October 2019, Purja climbed all fourteen of the world’s “eight-thousanders,” the peaks that rise above 8,000 metres, in just six months and six days, a feat that set a new record at the time and drew global attention to his climbing career. In 2021, he further cemented his legacy by completing the first winter ascent of K2 alongside a team of nine other Nepalese climbers, a milestone that had eluded mountaineers for decades.
His experience and standing in the climbing community have made the news of the Broad Peak avalanche especially alarming to fans and fellow mountaineers, many of whom have followed his expeditions closely over the years.
What Happens Next in the Search Effort
As of the latest update from the Alpine Club of Pakistan, rescue teams were preparing to deploy helicopter support to search for the missing climbers, though the outcome depends heavily on weather conditions in the days ahead. The Karakoram mountain range is known for abrupt weather changes that can either aid or severely hinder search and rescue operations.
Family members, climbing organisations, and mountaineering communities around the world are now awaiting further updates as authorities work to locate Purja and the rest of his team. Given the scale of Purja’s achievements and his prominence in the climbing world, the situation continues to draw significant international attention as rescuers race against time and weather to reach the missing team.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, July 31st, 2026
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