Update: Pakistani rescuers recover 3 bodies of the 10 climbers missing on Broad Peak after an avalanche

ISLAMABAD: Rescuers searching for 10 climbers missing after an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak found four bodies and recovered three on Friday, and continued to search for the other missing climbers despite adverse weather that hampered helicopter flights, officials said.

A statement from the regional Gilgit‑Baltistan government identified the three recovered bodies as Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed and American climber Mallory Geis, and said the bodies had been taken to hospital.

The announcement came hours after officials said search teams had located the remains of four climbers despite harsh weather. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. They did not immediately identify the fourth body that had been spotted.

Bad weather continued to hamper the rescue effort on Friday, the Gilgit‑Baltistan region’s Chief Minister, Amjad Hussain, said.

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. "The team has been out of communication since Thursday," said Haidri, adding that army helicopters were part of the search‑and‑rescue operation.

Authorities said the search for the missing climbers continued until Friday evening and would resume on Saturday.

According to the Alpine Club, 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.

On Friday, China’s government said it was trying to verify whether any of its nationals were among the 10 climbers missing.

"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," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday in Beijing.

The expedition leader was the renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a Nepal‑born former soldier in the British Army widely known as Nims Dai. He 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’s first attempt at an 8,000‑metre 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. 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 metres (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 metres, attracting climbers from around the globe.

Accidents are common during climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because of avalanches and rapidly changing weather.

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Pakistan rescuers find 4 bodies of 10 climbers missing on Broad Peak after an avalanche

ISLAMABAD: Rescuers searching for 10 climbers missing after an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak found four bodies on Friday and were continuing to search for the other six, officials said.

Efforts were underway to retrieve the bodies of the four climbers despite the harsh weather, according to senior government officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, did not immediately identify whose bodies were found.

Bad weather continued to hamper the rescue effort on Friday, according to a statement from the regional Gilgit‑Baltistan 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. “The team has been out of communication since Thursday,” said Haidri, adding that army helicopters were part of the search‑and‑rescue operation.

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.

The expedition leader was the renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a Nepal‑born former soldier in the British Army widely known as Nims Dai. He 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’s first attempt at an 8,000‑metre 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 traveller 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 metres (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 metres, attracting climbers from around the globe.

Accidents are common during climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because of avalanches and rapidly changing weather.

By RSS/AP