Breaking · Records & People
Ten Climbers, Including Nepal's Nirmal Purja, Are Missing After an Avalanche on Broad Peak
A massive avalanche struck between Camp 2 and Camp 3 on Pakistan's 8,047-metre Broad Peak on 30 July 2026. Four bodies have been recovered; six people, including record-breaking Nepali climber Nirmal 'Nims' Purja, remain missing as rescue helicopters mobilise.
At a glance
- Published
- TopicRecords & People
- Verified againstExplorersWeb
- Treks coveredAma Dablam Base Camp Trek — 10 Days, Island Peak Climbing — 14 Days, Mera Peak Climbing — 15 Days
Nirmal 'Nims' Purja — the Nepali climber who summited all fourteen of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in six months and six days, a feat once thought impossible — is among ten climbers missing after an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range. The avalanche hit around midday on Thursday, 30 July 2026, between Camp 2 and Camp 3, at roughly 6,660 metres. As of this writing, four bodies have been recovered and not yet identified; six people, including Purja, remain missing.
Key facts
- Avalanche struck Broad Peak (8,047m), the world's 12th-highest mountain, on 30 July 2026.
- 10 climbers were caught, roped between Camp 2 and Camp 3 at about 6,660m.
- 4 bodies recovered so far; identities not yet confirmed. Six remain missing, including Purja.
- Rescue helicopters were mobilised for the following day, subject to weather and operating conditions.
The missing include four other Nepali mountaineers from Purja's own EliteExped team, Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, his American client Mallory Geiss, Omani climber Nadhiraa Alharthy, a Chinese climber referred to as Wang, and one further foreign climber. Tracking data reportedly showed the group had stopped climbing and begun descending shortly before the slope gave way. Pakistan's Alpine Club said it was in constant contact with government authorities and was working to mobilise helicopter support and all available rescue resources, weather and operations permitting. Reports noted a roughly 13-hour gap between the avalanche and authorities being formally notified — a delay typical of the remote, unmonitored upper camps on 8,000-metre peaks with no fixed communication relay.
Purja is one of the most recognisable names to come out of Nepal's mountaineering community in a generation. Born in Dana, western Nepal, and a former UK Gurkha and Special Boat Service soldier, he became a global name in 2019 with Project Possible — climbing all fourteen of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in six months and six days, smashing a record that had previously stood at nearly eight years. This Broad Peak climb was reportedly part of a new goal: to become the first person to climb all fourteen 8,000-metre peaks twice, this time without supplemental oxygen.
Purja climbs all fourteen 8,000m peaks in 6 months, 6 days — a record that had stood at nearly 8 years.
Purja is part of the first team to summit K2 in winter, alongside nine other Nepali climbers.
Purja sets out on a new goal: all fourteen 8,000m peaks a second time, without supplemental oxygen.
An avalanche hits Purja's team between Camp 2 and Camp 3; ten climbers are unaccounted for.
What this means for trekkers
What this means for you
It's worth being precise about what kind of climbing this is, because it has little in common with the trekking most of our guests do. Broad Peak is an unsupported, high-altitude mountaineering objective in the Karakoram — glaciated slopes above 6,500m, climbed without fixed oxygen support, on a schedule set by elite professional climbers chasing a world-first record. A trek to Everest Base Camp or a guided climb of a trekking peak such as Mera or Island Peak is a different activity entirely: well-travelled trails or fixed-rope routes below 6,500m, NMA-certified guides who know the terrain daily, and turnaround decisions made for safety rather than speed. What's happening on Broad Peak is a stark reminder of how seriously the highest mountains deserve to be taken, and why the guided, lower-altitude routes most trekkers choose exist for good reason.
If technical Himalayan climbing appeals to you, the responsible way in is a proper trekking peak with full guiding and support — Mera Peak (6,476m) or Island Peak (6,189m) are the two standard first climbs, both guided by NMA-certified Nepali mountaineers every step of the way. For a closer look at the world Purja climbs in without the technical risk, our Ama Dablam Base Camp trek reaches the foot of one of the Himalaya's most photographed peaks on foot. We will update this story as rescue teams confirm more. Source: ExplorersWeb.
Cover photo: Neha Siraj Khan via Pexels (Pexels License).
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