DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Disasters & Emergencies

Renowned Mountaineer Nirmal Purja and 10 Others Die in Broad Peak Avalanche

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his team were caught in an avalanche while attempting to summit Broad Peak in Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of all 10 members.
  • Purja, famous for scaling all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in a record six months, was leading the expedition.
  • The incident highlights the inherent dangers of high-altitude mountaineering, with recovery efforts hampered by difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions.

A tragic avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak has claimed the lives of 10 mountaineers, including the celebrated Nepali climber Nirmal Purja. The expedition, organized by Elite Exped, was attempting to ascend the 8,051-meter (12th highest mountain in the world) when the disaster struck on July 30.

Purja tragically lost his life in an avalanche on Broad Peak. Sadly, none of the other members survived.

— Elite ExpedAnnouncement of the deaths of Nirmal Purja and his team.

Purja, widely known for his record-breaking feat of summiting all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in just 189 days (approximately six months) in 2019, was leading the team. He also holds the distinction of being the first to scale K2 in winter in 2021. His team's loss is being described as an "unimaginable loss" by Elite Exped.

We have lost one of the greatest climbers. There are no words to console the unimaginable pain of this loss.

— Elite ExpedExpressing grief over the loss of Nirmal Purja.

Rescue efforts on July 31 managed to recover the bodies of three team members. However, the challenging terrain and severe weather conditions have made recovering the remaining seven extremely difficult. The mountaineering community has expressed deep sorrow, with Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Pakistan Alpine Club, calling the deaths of these brave climbers from various nations a loss to the global mountaineering fraternity.

The deaths of brave climbers from various countries, united by their passion for the mountains, are a loss to the entire mountaineering community worldwide.

— Irfan Arshad KhanPresident of the Pakistan Alpine Club, commenting on the tragedy.

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting also paid tribute to Purja, acknowledging his service in the British Army and his inspirational mountaineering achievements. The incident draws a somber parallel to the death of South Korean climber Kim Hong-bin, who tragically passed away on Broad Peak in 2021 while descending after a successful summit, also due to a climbing accident.

Nims was a source of inspiration during his long service in our forces, and his incredible mountaineering adventures were known worldwide.

— Wes StreetingBritish Defence Secretary, paying tribute to Nirmal Purja.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog