Developing story — last updated 31 July 2026. Details remain under active verification by expedition operators, the Alpine Club of Pakistan, and Pakistani authorities.
News Summary
An avalanche struck Broad Peak (8,051 m) in Pakistan's Karakoram range on the morning of 30 July 2026, sweeping away 10 climbers between Camp 2 and Camp 3 at approximately 6,600 metres. Two people, Nadhira Al Harthy of Oman & Pur Bahadur Gurung "Yukta" of Nepal has died. While world-record mountaineer Nirmal "Nims" Purja of Nepal still remain missing. Rescue helicopters carrying elite Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan and Sherzad Karim have been deployed. GPS tracker data from Purja's device showed movement after the avalanche, but his condition remains unconfirmed.
A massive avalanche struck the west ridge of Broad Peak at approximately 9:20 to 9:30 AM Pakistan time on Thursday, 30 July, sweeping a 10-member climbing party from the corridor between Camp 2 and Camp 3. The slide hit at roughly 6,600 metres, an elevation band of steep snow slopes known for slab avalanche risk. All 10 climbers lost communication immediately.
Source: Samson Sharaf
The climbers were from multiple expedition operators, including EliteExped, led by Nirmal Purja, and teams coordinated by Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi and Karakoram Expedition. They had reached Camp 2 the previous afternoon and were ascending toward Camp 3, the final staging camp before a summit push, when the avalanche released.
According to ExplorersWeb, the slide carried the team hundreds of metres down the mountain. GPS tracker data reviewed by rescuers shows Purja's satellite device recorded his position at 6,659 metres at 9:38 AM before registering a rapid descent to approximately 5,891 metres by 10:18 AM — a vertical drop of roughly 768 metres in 40 minutes.
Six climbers remain unaccounted for as of 31 July. Four bodies have been recovered, though outlets report conflicting identifications. The full roster of the 10 climbers caught in the avalanche, as confirmed by the Alpine Club of Pakistan and expedition operators, includes:
Still missing (six):
Died in the Avalanche:
Bodies recovered (four) — identities under formal confirmation:
Reports from different outlets attribute conflicting identities to the recovered victims. Everest Chronicle, citing Karakoram Expedition, reported the bodies are believed to be those of Omani climber Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy and Nepali guide Pur Bahadur Gurung, known as "Yukta," with the other two not yet named. Earlier reporting from other outlets attributed the four recovered to Sohail Sakhi (Pakistan), Kili Pemba Sherpa (Nepal), Pur Bahadur Gurung (Nepal), and Chinese climber Wang Zhong.
Pakistani authorities have not formally confirmed identities. This article will be updated when official identification is released.
Several of the missing are Nepali and Pakistani high-altitude workers — the guides and porters whose labour makes commercial climbing on 8,000-metre peaks possible, and whose losses are often underreported in international media.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan issued an official statement confirming the avalanche struck around midday on 30 July and affected a team of 10 climbers from multiple nationalities. ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad confirmed the organisation is in contact with government authorities and military agencies to coordinate rescue. ACP General Secretary Ayaz Ahmed Shigri confirmed the deployment of two army helicopters.
Naila Kiani of the Alpine Club of Pakistan told ExplorersWeb that authorities only learned of the disaster at approximately 10:00 PM on the night of the avalanche — nearly 13 hours after the slide occurred.
"We only found out at 10 pm," Kiani said. "We are all shocked."
The gap between the avalanche at approximately 9:30 AM and the alarm at 10:00 PM is one of the most troubling aspects of this disaster. In standard commercial mountaineering protocol, guided teams maintain radio check-ins with base camp every one to two hours during active movement in hazardous terrain. The failure of base camp personnel to recognise total radio silence from a 10-person team for nearly 13 hours suggests a serious breakdown in communication procedures.
Had the alarm been raised by mid-morning, Askari Aviation helicopters could potentially have launched an aerial reconnaissance before afternoon winds and nightfall. By 10:00 PM, all aerial options were suspended until the following day, leaving any potential survivors exposed to overnight temperatures well below minus 20 degrees Celsius at nearly 6,000 metres.
Broad Peak Base Camp offers a direct line of sight to sections of the west ridge. While localised weather or topographic features may have obscured the avalanche itself, the prolonged absence of contact should have triggered an emergency response much earlier. An industry review of communication protocols is expected to follow.
GPS tracker data has become a central focus of the rescue operation. Purja's Garmin inReach satellite communicator recorded his last ascending position at 6,659 metres at 9:38 AM. By 10:18 AM, the device registered at 5,891 metres — confirming the catastrophic vertical displacement caused by the avalanche.
Source: Samson Sharaf
Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, a member of Nepal's House of Representatives and co-founder of EliteExped, reported that Purja's tracking device showed further location shifts after reaching the 5,891-metre resting point.
"Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche," Mingma Gyabu said. "But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again."
He cautioned that this data alone cannot confirm Purja's condition but provides "an indication of activity."
Tracker data from other climbers paints a grim picture of the slide's reach. Nadhira Al Harthy's Garmin tracker registered a final position at 4,893 metres at 10:42 AM Kathmandu time — more than 1,700 metres below the point of the avalanche, indicating she was carried an enormous distance. Mallory Geis's tracker last registered at 6,512 metres (21,372 feet).
Three hypotheses exist for the post-avalanche movement on Purja's tracker: GPS multipath interference causing false positional drift in steep terrain, environmental transport as the debris field settles or slides, or conscious human movement. If the recorded shifts show a distinct linear trajectory rather than random scatter, it would suggest human agency. No SOS activation has been reported from the device.
The fact that the device continues to transmit at all indicates it is not deeply buried — avalanche debris blocks satellite signals — giving aerial search teams a specific, surface-level target area.
Ground searches began first after bad weather initially prevented helicopter operations. Karakoram Expedition reported that its team member Waqar Ali, assisted by Nepali guide Sono Sherpa and two local climbers, recovered four bodies from the base of the avalanche zone opposite Broad Peak Base Camp.
On Friday 31 July, two helicopters departed carrying Pakistan's leading high-altitude climbers Sirbaz Khan and Sherzad Karim to Broad Peak Base Camp with rescue equipment and supplemental oxygen. Sirbaz Khan, the first Pakistani to summit all 14 eight-thousanders, is expected to lead ground search efforts toward the debris field.
Rescue operations in Pakistan's Karakoram face structural constraints different from Nepal. All aerial search and rescue is controlled by Askari Aviation, a subsidiary of the Army Welfare Trust operating under the Pakistan military. Independent commercial helicopter operators, common in Nepal's Everest region, are prohibited in Gilgit-Baltistan. Askari Aviation's maximum safe landing altitude is approximately 5,000 metres — nearly 900 metres below Purja's last recorded position at 5,891 metres.
This means a direct helicopter landing at the debris site is not possible. Rescuers must either attempt a high-risk long-line extraction while hovering at nearly 6,000 metres, or deploy a ground team from helicopter drop at 5,000 metres to climb upward to the accident site — a process that can take days.
The Expedition Operators' Association Nepal (EOAN) has formally urged the Nepal government to initiate diplomatic engagement with Pakistan to support the rescue effort.
Nirmal "Nims" Purja is among the most accomplished high-altitude mountaineers alive. A former Gurkha soldier and UK Special Boat Service commando, he holds the speed record for summiting all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks, completing the feat in six months and six days in 2019. That campaign, documented in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, involved multiple rescues of stranded climbers and established Purja as a global figure in mountaineering.
Broad Peak was not originally part of Purja's 2026 summer plan. He was in Pakistan to climb Gasherbrum II (8,035 m) as part of his self-declared "Hat-Trick Project" — an attempt to summit all 14 eight-thousanders three times, as well as the Seven Summits three times. He successfully summited Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen on 21 July 2026, nine days before the Broad Peak avalanche.
In a social media post published before departing for Broad Peak, Purja described the decision as a last-minute addition: "This was never the plan. Initially, the plan was to climb just G2. But just before setting off for Pakistan, I ran the numbers on my 8000m summits. That's when it hit me: if I tick off Broad Peak whilst I'm here, only one remains — Cho Oyu. Then I become the FIRST person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen."
The Gasherbrum II ascent marked Purja's 57th successful summit of an 8,000-metre peak and his 29th without supplemental oxygen.
Beyond climbing, Purja operates the Nimsdai Foundation, which recently funded the $440,000 Lobuche Porter House in the Everest region to shelter 83 porters — part of a broader advocacy for the welfare of Nepali high-altitude workers.
Broad Peak is the 12th-highest mountain on Earth at 8,051 metres, located in Pakistan's Karakoram range near K2. Its standard west ridge route is considered less technically demanding than K2 but is heavily exposed to avalanche risk, particularly in the corridor between Camp 2 (approximately 6,100 to 6,450 m) and Camp 3 (6,900 to 7,100 m).
Photo: Broad peak panaromic view. Source: Google Map
The slopes in this corridor average 30 to 45 degrees — the prime angle range for catastrophic slab avalanches. The Karakoram experiences localised weather patterns driven by residual monsoon moisture and prevailing westerlies. When heavy snowfall is followed by high winds, dense slabs form on leeward slopes, resting on weaker underlying layers. A trigger — whether environmental or mechanical, such as the combined weight of a 10-person team — can fracture the slab across the slope, releasing thousands of tonnes of snow.
The July 30 avalanche appears consistent with a massive slab release. The team was moving in relatively close proximity along fixed lines through terrain where the snowpack was likely heavily loaded by recent precipitation and wind transport.
Broad Peak has seen previous fatal avalanches, including a 2013 incident in which three climbers died in a serac collapse. The mountain's location adjacent to the Godwin-Austen Glacier means avalanche debris can travel vast distances across open glacial terrain.
As of 31 July 2026, four bodies have been recovered from the avalanche debris field. Six climbers remain missing. Helicopter-supported search operations are under way with Sirbaz Khan and Sherzad Karim leading efforts from Broad Peak Base Camp. Weather conditions in the Karakoram remain variable and could limit aerial operations.
The GPS tracker anomaly on Purja's device remains the most significant data point. Rescue teams are directing visual and aerial reconnaissance toward the coordinates of his latest transmitted position. However, the physiological realities of surviving overnight exposure at nearly 6,000 metres following a 768-metre avalanche fall are severe. Core temperatures drop rapidly without intact protective equipment, and the partial pressure of oxygen at this altitude is roughly half that at sea level.
Thaneshwar Guragai, general manager of Seven Summit Treks, which had climbers among the missing, said hope of finding survivors alive is "gradually fading."
The search and rescue operation will continue as weather permits, with helicopter reconnaissance and ground teams working toward the debris field. Formal identification of the four recovered bodies is pending. Pakistani authorities and the Alpine Club of Pakistan are coordinating with expedition operators and diplomatic channels.
The Expedition Operators' Association Nepal has called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage directly with Pakistan. Nepal's mountaineering community is closely monitoring developments, given that the majority of the missing are Nepali high-altitude workers.
An industry review of base camp communication protocols is expected. The 13-hour gap between the avalanche and the first alarm has raised serious questions about how commercial expeditions monitor climbing teams in real time on the Pakistan side of the Karakoram.
This is a developing story. This article will be updated as verified information becomes available. Readers are advised to follow official updates from the Alpine Club of Pakistan, EliteExped, and verified international mountaineering media.
1. What happened on Broad Peak on 30 July 2026?
An avalanche struck the west ridge of Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range between Camp 2 and Camp 3 at approximately 6,600 metres, sweeping away 10 climbers from multiple expedition teams.
2. Is Nirmal Purja alive?
As of 31 July 2026, his status is unconfirmed. He is among six climbers still missing. His GPS tracking device showed movement after the avalanche, but this has not been confirmed as a sign of survival.
3. How many climbers are missing on Broad Peak?
Six climbers remain missing: Nirmal Purja (Nepal/UK), Sohail Sakhi (Pakistan), Mallory Geis (USA), and three Nepali high-altitude guides. Four bodies have been recovered but not all formally identified.
4. How tall is Broad Peak?
Broad Peak stands at 8,051 metres (26,414 feet), making it the 12th-highest mountain in the world. It is located in the Karakoram range in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, near K2.
5. Why was Nirmal Purja on Broad Peak?
Purja added Broad Peak as a last-minute objective after summiting Gasherbrum II on 21 July 2026. Completing Broad Peak would have left only Cho Oyu remaining for him to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen.
6. Are rescue operations still ongoing?
Yes. Ground searches and helicopter reconnaissance are under way. Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan and Sherzad Karim have been deployed with rescue equipment. Operations are dependent on weather windows in the Karakoram.
7. Why did it take 13 hours for the alarm to be raised?
The avalanche struck around 9:30 AM, but base camp personnel did not raise the alarm until approximately 10:00 PM. The Alpine Club of Pakistan has expressed shock at this delay. The cause of the communication failure has not been explained.
8. What does the GPS tracker movement mean?
Purja's Garmin inReach device dropped from 6,659 m to 5,891 m during the avalanche. Subsequent location shifts were detected, but these could indicate GPS signal interference, debris movement, or human activity. The data alone cannot confirm survival.
The team at North Nepal Travel & Trek is following this closely. Our thoughts are with the climbers, their families, and especially the Nepali and Pakistani mountain workers among the missing. We will update this page as verified information becomes available.
Sources Referenced
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