The bodies of three more mountaineers have been recovered, leaving rescuers searching for the remains of the last two members of the expedition team that was caught in a deadly avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The 10-member climbing team comprising six Nepalese, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese climber went missing on Thursday after the avalanche struck the group at an altitude of approximately 7,000 metre on the mountain located in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Four bodies were recovered on Friday, one early Sunday and three were found later in the day.
Efforts to find the remaining two are currently underway in extremely difficult terrain, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said on Monday.
Eight bodies recovered, search continues for two climbers
The bodies recovered have been identified as veteran British-Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja; Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa and Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah of Nepal; Al Harthy of Oman; Mallory Geis of the US; and China’s Wang Zhong.
The remains of Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan and Nawang Thindu Sherpa are still missing.
Nirmal Purja among those killed in avalanche
Purja, whose body was found at approximately 5,700 metre, had set a record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains, completing the feat in six months in 2019.
He became widely known internationally after the Netflix documentary chronicling his journey, ‘14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible’, was released two years later. Pujra also served in the British military with the Gurkhas and later in special forces.
On Saturday, Purja's organising company, Elite Exped, had announced that all members of the expedition had died.
Broad Peak rescue efforts continue amid difficult conditions
Broad Peak, standing at 8,051 metre, is located in the Karakoram range near K2. It is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most challenging peaks to climb.
The ACP also expressed concern that some local high-altitude porters might have been caught in the avalanche. However, no details about them have been shared yet.