Search operation resumes for seven missing climbers after Broad Peak avalanche

Search and rescue operations on Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain (8,047 metres), resumed on Saturday as high-altitude porters and rescue teams continued efforts to locate seven missing climbers following a devastating avalanche that struck a 10-member international expedition in Pakistan's Karakoram range.

Search-and-rescue teams recovered three bodies on Friday after an avalanche struck an international climbing expedition on one of Pakistan's highest peaks a day earlier. The expedition, led by renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, lost contact after the avalanche, with Seven climbers still missing. The search operation was suspended at the end of Friday and resumed on Saturday.

According to the Gilgit-Baltistan Police spokesperson, rescue personnel restarted the operation at first light to continue the search for the missing mountaineers in the challenging high-altitude terrain.

The avalanche struck an international expedition while climbers were ascending from Camp 2 to Camp 3, killing three mountaineers. The deceased have been identified as Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman, Sarah Mallory of the United States, and Pur Bahadur Gurung of Nepal.

The body of the Omani climber, which had been shifted to Skardu on Thursday, was flown to Islamabad on Friday morning. The body of the Nepalese climber remains in Skardu, officials said.

Pakistan Army Aviation deployed helicopters, rescue personnel, and specialised equipment to support the operation, while a civilian rescue team led by renowned Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan continues ground efforts in the difficult terrain.

Read: Four bodies found after Broad Peak avalanche

The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the expedition comprised 10 people, including five Nepalese, a Pakistani, an Omani, an American, and a climber from China. Police did not mention an American citizen and said two British nationals-a man and a woman-were in the missing team.

Drone footage has indicated the possibility of additional casualties, but adverse weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, have hampered rescue efforts. Authorities said the search operation would continue as conditions permit.

The incident has drawn international attention, with the global mountaineering community closely monitoring developments from one of the world's most challenging peaks.

Broad Peak avalanche

The Alpine club said late on Thursday it had "received deeply concerning reports of an avalanche that struck a team of climbers on Broad Peak (8,047m)".

"The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche," it said.

Purja, 43, who served with Britain's Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines, has broken multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and tour guide.

He climbed all 14 "eight-thousanders" (peaks above 8,000 metres, or 26,000 feet) in six months and six days between April and October 2019 -- then a record.

In 2021, Purja completed the first winter ascent of K2 along with a team of nine other Nepali climbers.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said they were "urgently working to verify and understand the situation" and said Beijing was willing to provide assistance to Pakistan.

Rescuers equipped with geolocation devices have been sent to search for the missing climbers, the Alpine Club said.

"Through Global Positioning System (GPS), we have already traced the locations of four climbers," Ayaz Shigri, general secretary of the Alpine Club, told AFP in the mountainous northern city of Skardu.

"For now, we can't say anything about what exactly has happened," he said.

Military helicopters were reinforcing efforts on the ground to find the climbers and boost the operation in the challenging high-altitude environment, according to the club.

Purja had written on X this week that he was close to becoming the first person to climb all 14 "super peaks" twice without oxygen.

"Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down," he wrote.

"I take zero mountains for granted. Not one. The moment my foot leaves basecamp, it's 100%. Always has been. Always will be.

"My purpose has never been about me. It's about what I represent. It's about showing YOU that your own mountains- whatever they are- are climbable."

Broad Peak is the world's 12th highest mountain, located in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan, and is regarded as one of the toughest and most technical climbs of all the 8,000 metre-plus ascents.

It was first summited in 1957 by an Austrian team.