Nirmal Purja and nine climbers killed in Broad Peak avalanche FAST-MOVING
A snow avalanche struck Broad Peak (8,047 m) in Pakistan’s Karakoram on Thursday, wiping out the ten‑person expedition led by record‑breaking mountaineer Nirmal Purja. The disaster claimed the lives of all ten climbers – six Nepalese, and one each from Pakistan, China, the United States and Oman – including Purja, who was celebrated for climbing all 14 eight‑thousanders in just six months in 2019.
Elite Expeditions, the company founded by Purja, confirmed the deaths, a statement echoed by the Alpine Club of Pakistan to the German Press Agency. Rescue teams involving the Pakistan Army, helicopters, drones and GPS units searched the slope, but no survivors were found. Nepal’s prime minister Balendra Shah expressed deep grief on social media, and legendary alpinist Reinhold Messner posted a tribute on Instagram.
Purja’s achievements, highlighted in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” had raised the profile of Nepali climbers worldwide. His death has been described as a major loss for the global mountaineering community.
Entities: Alpine Club of Pakistan · Balendra Shah · Broad Peak · Elite Expeditions · Nirmal Purja · Reinhold Messner
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 25 SOURCES] An avalanche on Thursday struck a group of ten international climbers on Broad Peak in Pakistan. (multiple)
- [● 25 SOURCES] All ten climbers died, including Nirmal Purja. (multiple)
- [● 25 SOURCES] The victims included six Nepalese climbers, one Pakistani, one Chinese, one American and one Omani. (multiple)
- [● 23 SOURCES] The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed the deaths to the German Press Agency. (multiple)
- [● 23 SOURCES] Mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner posted a tribute on Instagram. (multiple)
- [● 17 SOURCES] Nirmal Purja had previously climbed all 14 eight‑thousanders within seven months, a world‑record achievement. (multiple)
- [● 25 SOURCES] Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah expressed grief on Facebook. (multiple)
- [● 25 SOURCES] Purja’s company posted a statement on Instagram confirming his death. (multiple)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Nirmal Purja died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan. (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The avalanche occurred on Thursday. (multiple)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The dead included six Nepali climbers, one Pakistani, one Chinese, one American female, and one Omani female. (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Purja was the first person to climb all 14 eight‑thousanders within a single season. (All articles)