The avalanche struck the mountain at an altitude of around 7,000 metres Thursday, sweeping away the 10-member climbing team that had begun its summit push, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

Islamabad: Nepal’s veteran mountaineer Nirmal Purja was among six climbers missing after an avalanche struck an expedition on Pakistan occupied Kashmir’s Broad Peak, where rescuers recovered four bodies and continued search operations despite adverse weather on Friday.

Broad Peak (8,051 metres), located in the Karakoram range near K2, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most challenging peaks to climb.

The avalanche struck the mountain at an altitude of around 7,000 metres Thursday, sweeping away the 10-member climbing team that had begun its summit push, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

The climbers — six from Nepal, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese — went missing at around 9 am on Thursday following the avalanche.

ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad said four bodies were recovered during the rescue operation on Friday. He identified two of the victims as Oman’s Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy and Nepal’s Pur Bahadur Gurung. The identities of the other two bodies are yet to be officially confirmed.

Two Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters were engaged in the search and rescue operation.

Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said it is closely monitoring the situation, The Kathmandu Post reported.

In a statement, the ministry said the Nepali Embassy in Islamabad is coordinating with the local authorities, including the Alpine Club of Pakistan, to support the swift and safe search and rescue of all climbers affected by the avalanche.

It added that the Pakistani authorities have assured Nepal they will mobilise all available resources to carry out the search and rescue operation as quickly as possible, the Post said.

Besides Purja and Gurung, the other Nepalese climbers are Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa.

The other missing climbers are Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan, Wang Zhong of China and Mallory Geis of the United States.

Officials in Pakistan said search and rescue operations are underway, but bad weather has severely affected efforts, with helicopters facing operational constraints in the mountainous terrain.

British-Nepali climber Purja, known as ‘Nims Dai’, is regarded as one of the world’s leading high-altitude mountaineers.

A former member of Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas and the Royal Marines’ elite Special Boat Service, the 43-year-old has set several mountaineering records since becoming a full-time climber and expedition guide.

In 2019, he created history by climbing all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres in just six months and six days under his ‘Project Possible’ expedition.

In 2021, he was part of the team of 10 Nepali climbers that made the first successful winter ascent of K2.

Ang Tshering Sherpa, former president of Nepal Mountaineering Association, termed Purja as “one of the best climbers” in the world. “He has climbed eight thousanders for most of the time,” he added.

Purja was born on July 25, 1983, in Myagdi district of Gandaki Province and raised in Chitwan. Starting in 2003, Purja had a distinguished 16-year military career, of which he spent six years as a Gurkha and 10 years with the UK Special Forces (SBS).

According to the UK’s Gurkha Museum, Purja is the first ever Gurkha to join the UK Special Boat Service, a unit predominantly made up of Royal Marines. The SBS, alongside the SAS, is regarded as the most elite unit in the British Military, it said.

“During his time with the SBS, Nims developed an interest in mountaineering, which quickly developed into a passion. In December 2012, whilst on leave from his Special Forces duties, Nims set out to trek to Everest Base Camp. This experience fired his passion and ambition for the mountains almost immediately,” according to the museum’s website.

Soon after his army stint, Purja embarked on a record-breaking mountaineering spree.

In March 2020, he announced his new enterprise ‘Nimsdai’ – from the Nepalese ‘dai’, meaning ‘brother’ with a primary objective to share his knowledge and approach to big mountain climbing.

Through his charity, the Nimsdai Foundation, Purja carried out a lot of work to benefit the underprivileged. It included, along with his Elite Himalayan Adventures, a contribution of USD 5,000 to provide food parcels to Sherpa communities whose livelihood was affected due to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown.

Purja penned down his story of scaling the Earth’s 14 of what are known as death zone peaks in a record time in the book, ‘Beyond Possible: One Soldier, Fourteen Peaks – My Life in the Death Zone.’ Purja also collaborated for a November 2021 documentary released on Netflix, ’14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,’ about his and his team’s attempt to climb all 14 eight-thousanders within a then-record time of under seven months.

Earlier on Friday, Nepal’s Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Minister Khadak Prasad Paudel said the government was in regular contact with the Pakistani authorities.

In a post on X, the UK Embassy in Pakistan expressed concern at the incident involving a British-Nepali national.

“We are concerned by reports that several climbers have gone missing during a Broad Peak expedition, including a British-Nepali national. We are in contact with the Pakistani authorities and are grateful to them and the Pakistani military for their search and rescue efforts,” it said.

The ACP said GPS coordinates received from some of the missing climbers indicated that the avalanche had swept the group nearly 1,000 metres downhill, leaving them trapped.

It also expressed concern that some local high-altitude porters might have been caught in the avalanche.

Pakistan’s summer climbing season, which runs from June to August, frequently witnesses avalanches and unpredictable weather, posing significant risks to mountaineers.