World-renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine other expedition members were killed in a powerful avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak. Purja, a former UK Special Forces member, was leading the 10-member team on the world's 12th-highest mountain in the Karakoram range's Gilgit-Baltistan region when the avalanche struck around noon on Thursday.
The expedition lost contact with its base camp following the disaster. Rescuers, supported by military helicopters, launched a major search for the missing climbers. While four bodies, including that of an American climber, were initially recovered, the remains of three other climbers were later found during a high-altitude search. Purja's climbing company confirmed on Saturday that the 43-year-old climber and the rest of the team had perished.
Purja was one of the world's most famous high-altitude climbers, having set a record for the fastest ascent of the world's 14 highest mountains, scaling all peaks taller than 8,000 meters in a little over six months in 2019. His journey was chronicled in a Netflix documentary.