The world of mountaineering is enduring hours of profound sorrow. After three days of a desperate search, the death of Nirmal Purja, the renowned Nepali climber aged 43, was confirmed, following his being caught in an avalanche while leading an expedition on Broad Peak, one of the highest mountains on Earth, located in the Karakórum range in Pakistan.
The tragedy occurred on Thursday, July 30, when an avalanche caught a group of ten climbers ascending the peak. From that moment, all communication with the expedition was lost, triggering a broad rescue operation.
The search for Nirmal Purja and the confirmation of his death
The Pakistan Alpine Club had initially reported the disappearance of Nirmal Purja, worldwide known as “Nims,” along with Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa of Nepal; Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan; Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman; Mallory Geis of the United States; and Wang Zhong of China.
Rescue operations began with helicopter overflights, although extreme weather conditions hampered the mission.
A day after the avalanche the deaths of four expedition members were confirmed, though only the bodies of the Omani Nadhira Al Harthy, the Nepalese Pur Bahadur Gurung and the American Mallory Geis could be recovered.
The heavy snowfall and the risk to rescuers forced the search to be temporarily suspended, only to resume on Saturday, August 1. Finally, that same day it was confirmed that there were no survivors.
The news was announced by Elite Exped, the company founded by Purja, through a painful message posted on Instagram.
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Angel
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