Overview
- An avalanche swept through a 10‑person expedition on Broad Peak during the midday ascent on Thursday, July 30, cutting all contact with base camp and sweeping climbers down from about 6,600 metres.
- Elite Exped confirmed on Saturday, August 1, that Nirmal “Nims” Purja died in the avalanche and said other expedition members, including guides Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nima Sherpa, also did not survive.
- Rescue teams and Pakistani military helicopters have recovered multiple bodies — initial reports list three to four — and continue searches despite poor weather, thin air and terrain that often blocks helicopter access.
- The team was multinational, with five Nepalese climbers plus participants from Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China, and the deaths of Sherpa guides raise immediate social and economic consequences for their families and local communities.
- Early GPS tracker readings suggested victims were swept downhill, but many devices later failed or were found damaged, leaving searchers with limited location data and complicating identification and repatriation efforts.