GILGIT: The search and rescue operation for foreign climbers missing after an avalanche at Broad Peak was suspended late Friday due to adverse weather conditions in the region.
Three bodies of missing climbers — one each from the United States, Nepal and Oman — were airlifted from Broad Peak to Skardu by Pakistan Army helicopters. Drone footage also indicated the presence of more climbers during the search operation.
Earlier reports had said that four bodies were recovered; however, the toll was later revised down to three. Seven climbers remain missing.
According to a press release issued by the Commissioner Baltistan Division, the search and rescue operation was launched following a formal request from tour operators.
A three-member civil rescue team, led by renowned mountaineer Sarbaz Khan, was airlifted to Broad Peak Base Camp by Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters.
The team recovered the bodies of three climbers, identified as Oman’s Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy, Nepal’s Pur Bahadur Gurung and Mallory Geis from the United States. The bodies were later shifted to CMH Skardu by Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters.
The press release said the rescue operation had been temporarily suspended due to poor weather conditions and would resume on Saturday once conditions improved. Other Sherpas involved in mountaineering expeditions at the peak would also assist in the operation.
The rescue team said signs indicating the presence of more climbers had also been spotted through drone footage.
Despite the challenging terrain and harsh weather conditions at such high altitudes, the search operation was continuing with the cooperation of the Pakistan Army, local expert mountaineers and rescue teams.
The Gilgit-Baltistan government expressed condolences to the families of the deceased climbers and assured them that all possible assistance would be provided in the rescue operation and the repatriation of the bodies to their respective countries.
Experts said the chances of survival for the missing climbers were diminishing with each passing hour.
Earlier, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said that the 10-member team included six Nepalese climbers, a Pakistani, an Omani, an American and a climber from China. The climbers from Nepal were identified as renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa.
It identified the remaining climbers as Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, Wang Zhong from China and Mallory Geis from the United States.
Rescue operation
In a statement issued earlier in the day, ACP Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri said two Pakistan Army Aviation rescue helicopters, carrying rescue personnel and additional specialised equipment, had been dispatched to support the ongoing search and rescue operation.
The statement said the ACP president, along with the club’s senior leadership, remained in constant contact with the highest government authorities and relevant agencies to facilitate the rescue operation.
“Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions,” it added.
The club said it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with all relevant stakeholders while expressing solidarity with the climbers’ families and the international mountaineering community.
ACP’s General Secretary Ayaz Shigri told Dawn that several expedition teams had jointly begun their summit push before the incident.
He said GPS locations received from some of the missing climbers indicated that the avalanche had swept the group about 1,000 metres downhill, leaving them trapped.
Shigri said there were also fears that some local high-altitude porters might have been affected by the avalanche.
“We pray for the safety of all the climbers. It is a big incident,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain Advocate directed all relevant departments to remain on high alert and expedite the search and rescue operation in coordination with the Pakistan Army, according to an official statement.
He instructed the district administration and concerned authorities to utilise all available resources to ensure the climbers’ safety.
Gilgit-Baltistan Minister for Tourism, Sports and Culture Naiknam Karim also expressed sorrow over the incident and said the provincial government was making every possible effort to locate and safely rescue the missing climbers.
In a statement, he said “all relevant departments are in constant coordination and that every available resource was being utilised to support the ongoing search and rescue operation”.
Expressing hope that the missing climbers would be found safe, the minister directed the concerned authorities to further expedite the rescue operation and ensure that all necessary logistical and operational support was provided to the teams working in the field.
Purja, 43, who served with Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the elite Special Boat Service (SBS), has broken multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and tour guide.
He climbed all 14 “eight-thousanders” (peaks above 8,000 metres, or 26,000 feet) in six months and six days between April and October 2019 — then a record. In 2021, Purja completed the first winter ascent of K2 along with a team of nine other Nepalese climbers.
Separately, in a post on X, the UK Embassy in Pakistan expressed concern at the incident. Seemingly referencing Purja, it also took note of a British-Nepali national missing in the expedition.
“We are concerned by reports that several climbers have gone missing during a Broad Peak expedition, including a British-Nepali national,” the embassy said, adding that it remained in contact with Pakistani authorities.
Sakhi, who hails from Hunza, had successfully summited Kanchenjunga (8,586m), the world’s 3rd highest mountain, in Nepal earlier in May. He had previously scaled K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen, establishing himself among the country’s strongest high-altitude climbers.
Additional input from AFP
