07/31/26 01:19:00
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07/31 01:14 CDT Pakistan searching for 10 climbers missing on Broad Peak after
an avalanche
Pakistan searching for 10 climbers missing on Broad Peak after an avalanche
By MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press
ISLAMABAD (AP) --- Pakistani rescuers backed by the military were searching
Friday for 10 international climbers, including renowned Nepal-born British
mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who went missing after an avalanche struck Broad
Peak, one of the world's highest mountains.
The climbers lost contact with the base camp Thursday and rescuers are trying
to reach the area where they last communicated, said Karrar Haidri, vice
president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
"The team has been out of communication since Thursday," Haidri said, adding
that army helicopters had joined the search-and-rescue operation. He said a
team of experienced rescuers had reached the area where the climbers were
believed to have gone missing.
Haidri said authorities were in contact with the families of the missing
climbers but provided no further details. He said everyone was praying for
their safe return.
According to the Alpine Club, the expedition included five Nepali climbers,
Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi from Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, American
climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and another
foreign climber.
Purja, a former soldier in the British army widely known as Nims Dai, 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." His
record was surpassed in 2023.
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. The company said this was Geis' first
try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while it was expected to be Sakhi's
final one.
Sakhi is 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.
Geis, 39, lives in San Antonio and is an avid traveler who loves being
outdoors, according to her Instagram page. She announced on social media
earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take "a giant leap
of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion
there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved."
Broad Peak, at 8,047 meters (26,401 feet), is the world's 12th-highest
mountain. It lies in Pakistan's Karakoram range, home to five of the world's 14
peaks above 8,000 meters, attracting climbers from around the globe.
"The Alpine Club of Pakistan is closely monitoring the situation and
coordinating with all concerned stakeholders," the club said in a statement,
adding that it stands in solidarity with the climbers' families and the
international mountaineering community.
Accidents are common during climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because
of avalanches and rapidly changing weather.
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Associated Press journalist Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
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