Mountaineer Nirmal Purja declared dead after avalanche on POK peak
The confirmation comes two days after Nirmal Purja, a former member of the British Special Forces, and nine other climbers were reported missing after the avalanche struck the mountain.
Renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja has been confirmed dead following a devastating avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Karakoram range.
The confirmation came in an Instagram statement by Elite Exped, the expedition company Purja was associated with, two days after he went missing following the avalanche.
Purja, 43, was leading an expedition to scale Broad Peak when the avalanche struck on Thursday afternoon. Communication was subsequently lost with all 10 members of the team.
The expedition included six climbers from Nepal and one each from Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China. Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi was also part of the team.
Following the avalanche, the Pakistan Alpine Club said efforts were underway to send a rescue helicopter to the mountain.
TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR MOUNTAINEER
Paying tribute to Purja, Elite Exped described him as "one of mountaineering's greatest climbers" and a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and belief in human potential.
"The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers; a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine," the company said in an Instagram post.
Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah paid tribute to the mountaineering legend and five other Nepali climbers, saying that mountaineering was not "merely about reaching a summit but represented courage, discipline, sacrifice and the determination to push human limits."
"Mountains give many climbers the glory of reaching their summits, but sometimes they also embrace them forever. Yet mountaineers, through their courage and dedication, remain immortal in history," he wrote on Facebook.
Shah added that while their physical journeys had ended, their courage, dedication and contributions would remain alive in history and continue to inspire generations.
WHO WAS NIRMAL PURJA?
Purja was one of the world's most celebrated mountaineers and shot to global fame in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 metres in just over six months.
The feat shattered the previous record held by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho, who had completed the challenge in seven years.
Purja's record-breaking expedition was later chronicled in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Before becoming a professional mountaineer, Purja spent 16 years in the British military. He initially served with the Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Service, an elite special forces unit of the Royal Navy.
In 2018, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his military service.
Purja's mountaineering journey began in earnest after he trekked to Everest Base Camp in 2012, an experience that "fired his passion and ambition for the mountains", according to the website of his Nimsdai Foundation, which supports mountain communities in Nepal.
That experience marked the beginning of a remarkable mountaineering career that would eventually make him one of the most recognisable names in high-altitude climbing.
AMONG THE MOST DIFFICULT PEAKS TO CLIMB
Broad Peak, at 8,051 metres, is the world's 12th-highest mountain. Located in the Karakoram range near K2, close to the illegal Pakistan-China border, it is considered one of the world's most difficult peaks to climb.
Broad Peak was first summited in June 1957 by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger and Hermann Buhl, members of an Austrian expedition.
The mountain's English name was coined by British explorer Martin Conway in 1892, inspired by the similarly named Breithorn in the Alps.
While Broad Peak is sometimes translated as Falchan Kangri, the name is not commonly used by the local Balti people.
Renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja has been confirmed dead following a devastating avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Karakoram range.
The confirmation came in an Instagram statement by Elite Exped, the expedition company Purja was associated with, two days after he went missing following the avalanche.
Purja, 43, was leading an expedition to scale Broad Peak when the avalanche struck on Thursday afternoon. Communication was subsequently lost with all 10 members of the team.
The expedition included six climbers from Nepal and one each from Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China. Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi was also part of the team.
Following the avalanche, the Pakistan Alpine Club said efforts were underway to send a rescue helicopter to the mountain.
TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR MOUNTAINEER
Paying tribute to Purja, Elite Exped described him as "one of mountaineering's greatest climbers" and a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and belief in human potential.
"The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers; a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine," the company said in an Instagram post.
Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah paid tribute to the mountaineering legend and five other Nepali climbers, saying that mountaineering was not "merely about reaching a summit but represented courage, discipline, sacrifice and the determination to push human limits."
"Mountains give many climbers the glory of reaching their summits, but sometimes they also embrace them forever. Yet mountaineers, through their courage and dedication, remain immortal in history," he wrote on Facebook.
Shah added that while their physical journeys had ended, their courage, dedication and contributions would remain alive in history and continue to inspire generations.
WHO WAS NIRMAL PURJA?
Purja was one of the world's most celebrated mountaineers and shot to global fame in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 metres in just over six months.
The feat shattered the previous record held by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho, who had completed the challenge in seven years.
Purja's record-breaking expedition was later chronicled in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Before becoming a professional mountaineer, Purja spent 16 years in the British military. He initially served with the Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Service, an elite special forces unit of the Royal Navy.
In 2018, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his military service.
Purja's mountaineering journey began in earnest after he trekked to Everest Base Camp in 2012, an experience that "fired his passion and ambition for the mountains", according to the website of his Nimsdai Foundation, which supports mountain communities in Nepal.
That experience marked the beginning of a remarkable mountaineering career that would eventually make him one of the most recognisable names in high-altitude climbing.
AMONG THE MOST DIFFICULT PEAKS TO CLIMB
Broad Peak, at 8,051 metres, is the world's 12th-highest mountain. Located in the Karakoram range near K2, close to the illegal Pakistan-China border, it is considered one of the world's most difficult peaks to climb.
Broad Peak was first summited in June 1957 by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger and Hermann Buhl, members of an Austrian expedition.
The mountain's English name was coined by British explorer Martin Conway in 1892, inspired by the similarly named Breithorn in the Alps.
While Broad Peak is sometimes translated as Falchan Kangri, the name is not commonly used by the local Balti people.
Renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja has been confirmed dead following a devastating avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Karakoram range.
The confirmation came in an Instagram statement by Elite Exped, the expedition company Purja was associated with, two days after he went missing following the avalanche.
Purja, 43, was leading an expedition to scale Broad Peak when the avalanche struck on Thursday afternoon. Communication was subsequently lost with all 10 members of the team.
The expedition included six climbers from Nepal and one each from Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China. Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi was also part of the team.
Following the avalanche, the Pakistan Alpine Club said efforts were underway to send a rescue helicopter to the mountain.
TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR MOUNTAINEER
Paying tribute to Purja, Elite Exped described him as "one of mountaineering's greatest climbers" and a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and belief in human potential.
"The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers; a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine," the company said in an Instagram post.
Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah paid tribute to the mountaineering legend and five other Nepali climbers, saying that mountaineering was not "merely about reaching a summit but represented courage, discipline, sacrifice and the determination to push human limits."
"Mountains give many climbers the glory of reaching their summits, but sometimes they also embrace them forever. Yet mountaineers, through their courage and dedication, remain immortal in history," he wrote on Facebook.
Shah added that while their physical journeys had ended, their courage, dedication and contributions would remain alive in history and continue to inspire generations.
WHO WAS NIRMAL PURJA?
Purja was one of the world's most celebrated mountaineers and shot to global fame in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 metres in just over six months.
The feat shattered the previous record held by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho, who had completed the challenge in seven years.
Purja's record-breaking expedition was later chronicled in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Before becoming a professional mountaineer, Purja spent 16 years in the British military. He initially served with the Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Service, an elite special forces unit of the Royal Navy.
In 2018, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his military service.
Purja's mountaineering journey began in earnest after he trekked to Everest Base Camp in 2012, an experience that "fired his passion and ambition for the mountains", according to the website of his Nimsdai Foundation, which supports mountain communities in Nepal.
That experience marked the beginning of a remarkable mountaineering career that would eventually make him one of the most recognisable names in high-altitude climbing.
AMONG THE MOST DIFFICULT PEAKS TO CLIMB
Broad Peak, at 8,051 metres, is the world's 12th-highest mountain. Located in the Karakoram range near K2, close to the illegal Pakistan-China border, it is considered one of the world's most difficult peaks to climb.
Broad Peak was first summited in June 1957 by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger and Hermann Buhl, members of an Austrian expedition.
The mountain's English name was coined by British explorer Martin Conway in 1892, inspired by the similarly named Breithorn in the Alps.
While Broad Peak is sometimes translated as Falchan Kangri, the name is not commonly used by the local Balti people.
