Nirmal Purja killed in Pakistan avalanche, company says

Renowned mountaineer and former British Army soldier Nirmal Purja was among those killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday, his company Elite Expeditions said.

Elite Expeditions shared the news in a social media post, saying it was with “profound sadness and immense heartbreak” that it confirmed Purja’s death in the avalanche.

The company also said it had received confirmation that the other nine members of the expedition had not survived. BBC News reported that the expedition had 10 people.

Pakistani officials previously said the bodies of three climbers had been recovered. They named them as American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal, who were among the expedition members.

Purja, who was Nepal-born, was known for scaling the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019.