The search is on for Nirmal Purja, world renowned climber, after 10 people went missing as an avalanche struck Pakistan’s Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains.
Event Context
Purja, a former British Special Forces member, is Nepalese born and is better known as Nims Dai. He made history in 2019, climbing all of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters, taking a little over six months.
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Team Analysis
As per the Everest Chronicle, rescue teams located four bodies while the search is on for the remaining climbers, including Purja. Helicopters are aiding the efforts as per reports.
Everest Chronicle reported that Purja’s GPS showed slight movement. However, they were quick to temper hopes saying it ‘might be a glitch’. You can track the GPS movement here.
The publication further reported “Tracking data accessed by Everest Chronicle shows that Nimsdai reached an altitude of 6,659m at 9:38 a.m. local time on Thursday. The tracker then recorded a rapid descent of about 800 meters to 5,891 meters at 10:18 a.m., consistent with the reported avalanche.”
The expedition has five Nepalese climbers, and nationals from the US, Pakistan, China, and Oman. Reportedly, another foreign national was part of the group, though there’s no information on said individual.
Purja gained popularity after starring in a 2021 Netflix documentary where he tried to climb the 14 highest mountains in the world in less than a year. The last record was seven years.
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During his climbs, Purja had opted for the use of supplementary oxygen when he made the ascent. He justified this choice, saying that the challenge he’d set himself was huge. Purja joined the British Army in 2003. He became a Royal Marine in 2009.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan issued a statement after the avalanche. “The club prays for the safety and successful rescue of all the climbers and stands in solidarity with their families and the international mountaineering community during this difficult time,” it said, as per The Guardian.
Broad Peak in the Karakoram range is 8,047-meter (26,401-foot) high, and is the world’s 12th highest mountain.
