World Record Climber Nirmal Purja Dies in Pakistan Avalanche
Nirmal Purja, a world-famous climber, has died. He was caught in a mountain avalanche in Pakistan. His company, Elite Exped, confirmed his death on Saturday. Purja was known for climbing the world’s 14 highest mountains very fast. He was 43 years old. This news brings deep sadness to the climbing community around the world.
Mr. Purja and nine other climbers went missing last Thursday. They were on an expedition on Broad Peak. Broad Peak is the world’s 12th-highest mountain. It stands 8,051 meters tall. It is a very difficult climb in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. The avalanche struck the group around midday.
The Elite Exped company shared the sad news on social media. They also confirmed that other members of the expedition did not survive. Details about these other climbers were not immediately given. Six of the ten climbers were from Nepal. Others were from Pakistan, Oman, the US, and China.
Search teams found three bodies on Friday. Drone footage later helped identify the remaining bodies. This included Mr. Purja’s body. Officials said the bodies are in a difficult spot. They have not been brought down from the mountain yet.
Sajid Hussain is a deputy director from Pakistan’s tourism department. He said the rescue operation is still ongoing. Mr. Hussain called it an “extremely challenging” recovery mission. Rescuers need to climb to the site themselves. Pakistan does not use helicopters for long-line rescues on mountains. This makes the mission harder and more dangerous for the rescue teams.
Mr. Purja became famous worldwide in 2019. He climbed the 14 highest mountains in the world in just six months. This was a new global record. A Netflix documentary called “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” later told his amazing story. Before climbing, Mr. Purja served in the British military. He was part of the Gurkhas and later special forces.
Broad Peak is known as one of Pakistan’s toughest climbs. Of the world’s 14 highest mountains, eight are in Nepal. Five are in Pakistan. One is in the Tibet region of China. Climbing experts say only a few dozen mountaineers have ever climbed all 14 peaks to date.
