Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Pakistani search crews recovered the bodies of three mountaineers on Friday after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, leaving at least seven others missing, including Nepali climber Nirmal Purja.
Search operation
Drone footage indicated the presence of several more bodies in the search area, according to the regional government in Gilgit-Baltistan, where Broad Peak is located.
Regional police said rescue operations were suspended on Friday night because of weather conditions. Two Pakistan Army Aviation rescue helicopters have been dispatched, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.
“We hope to continue our operations, both aerial search and the ground rescue, till the time we find the survivors or the dead bodies,” said Irfan Arshad, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
Victims and missing climbers
The recovered bodies were identified as US citizen Sarah Mallory, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, and Nepalese citizen Pur Bahadur Gurung, Gilgit-Baltistan officials said.
Among those still missing is Purja, 43, who holds the record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains. His achievement was chronicled in the 2021 Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said earlier on Friday that the team had been out of communication since the avalanche and expressed hope for the climbers’ safe recovery.
Avalanche on Broad Peak
The climbers were swept away around midday on Thursday on the 8,051-metre Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain.
Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the tourism department in Gilgit-Baltistan, said the search was taking place in a remote and difficult area.
