Rescuers have recovered four bodies on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan as search operations continue for six other climbers who remain missing after an avalanche struck the mountain, officials said on Friday.
Rescue teams have been working under difficult weather conditions to locate the missing climbers after the avalanche hit on Thursday while they were attempting to summit the world’s 12th highest mountain. Poor visibility and strong winds have hampered helicopter operations and slowed efforts to retrieve the bodies and search for survivors.
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media, said the identities of the four recovered victims had not yet been officially confirmed.
Among those missing is renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, 43, who gained international recognition after setting the record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 mountains above 8,000 metres, a feat documented in the 2021 Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said the expedition lost contact with its base camp shortly after the avalanche struck.
“The team has been out of communication since Thursday,” Haidri said, adding that Pakistan Army helicopters and specialised rescue teams were participating in the search operation.
The Alpine Club said the expedition included five Nepali climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, an Omani climber identified as Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and another foreign climber.
China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday it was working to verify whether one of its nationals was among those reported missing.
Mallory Geis, 39, from San Antonio, had announced earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to pursue mountaineering full-time, writing on social media that her future would involve “helmets, harnesses, and crampons.”
Broad Peak, standing at 8,047 metres, is located in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range, which contains five of the world’s 14 peaks exceeding 8,000 metres. The region attracts climbers from across the world but is also known for its unpredictable weather, avalanches and other high-altitude hazards.
Authorities said rescue operations would continue as soon as weather conditions improve.
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